Keely Hodgkinson has secured a spectacular win in the women’s 800m to take home a gold medal and go one better than her silver in Tokyo three years ago.
The Team GB star lived up to her favourite tag in nerveless fashion to beat a strong field in Paris tonight which included world champion Mary Moraa, from Kenya.
Hodgkinson arrived at the Paris Games with high hopes, ranked number one in the world, and cruised through the heats and semi-finals with consummate ease.
Keely Hodgkinson has secured a spectacular win in the women’s 800m to claim a gold medal
And she thrived under the pressure at a raucous Stade de France to run a fantastic time of 1 minute 56.72 seconds and now the 22-year-old can soak in the glory of being an Olympic champion.
Hodgkinson waited patiently for one of her other rivals to make an early move and set the pace and Ethiopia’s Tsige Duguma duly obliged.
It was all part of the Brit’s plan, however, and Hodgkinson stayed on the shoulder of her competitor – ready to pounce.
And she did so just seconds later, assuming the leading position three-quarters of the way through the first lap and she never looked back.
As the halfway bell rang, the field of world-class athletes furiously picked up the pace
Hodgkinson had to fight off a strong performance from Moraa which saw her practically neck and neck with the Brit at times during the second half of the race.
But the Team GB poster girl effortlessly picked up the pace and cantered clear of the field to cruise over the line.
More to follow.
