Paris Olympic Games 2024: Keely Hodgkinson relishing being Team Great Britain 'poster girl' - 'There is pressure'
Published 27/07/2024 at 08:22 GMT+1
Team GB's Keely Hodgkinson is entering her second Olympic Games in white-hot form, after setting a British record in the women's 800m at the London Diamond League a week ahead of the Paris Games, taking over half a second off her previous best. There are plenty of eyes cast on the 22-year-old this summer, and she said it is "quite the achievement" to be touted as Team GB's "poster girl".
Thomas admits he would be 'very shocked' if Hodgkinson doesn't take Olympic Gold
Video credit: TNT Sports
British medal hope Keely Hodgkinson has spoken about the pressure of being considered Team GB's "poster girl", but said she is "privileged" to be in such a position.
Hodgkinson enters the Games in scintillating form, knocking over half a second off her previous best to set a new women's 800m British record at the London Diamond League on the eve of the Olympics.
The 22-year-old insists she has to "forget" about her recent success in order to manage the pressure, despite becoming the sixth-fastest woman over 800m in history.
"I'm just doing the final prep here and just coming off the adrenaline rush of the weekend and just trying to stay focused for what's ahead," Hodgkinson told reporters.
"I'm not going to say that it doesn't go through my head or anything like that, but I think I just have to forget about it.
"Obviously what happened last week is great and it filled me with confidence, but I've still got two more weeks to go, loads of rounds to navigate and there is pressure there. For me, I would just go back to basics and take it race by race, get the job done each round and then go from there."
Hodgkinson also spoke about her admiration for previous Team GB great Jessica Ennis-Hill, who won heptathlon gold in stunning fashion at London 2012.
“If anyone sees me as the poster girl like she was then that’s quite the achievement,” Hodgkinson said. “I’m privileged to be in this position. And it’s quite a tribute to follow in her footsteps. Hopefully I can go on and do what she did and bring home the gold.”
Hodgkinson, who won silver at the last Olympics in Tokyo, endured a less than straightforward journey over the past year on route to becoming one of Team GB's most distinguished athletes, but the 22-year-old said it has been "satisfying" to see her 2024 campaign shape up in promising fashion.
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“A lot of this year has been about perseverance,” she said. “It has not gone smoothly. I’ve had a lot of challenges personally on the track and off it. To see it all come together has been very satisfying.
“I’ve just worked hard, kept my head down and even when I was injured and out for a while, it felt like one thing after another. But these last 10 days have really given me the confidence to really go for it.”
Hodgkinson will begin her Paris 2024 campaign on August 2, in the opening round of the women's 800m.
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