Team Great Britain’s Keely Hodgkinson won Olympic Gold on Monday evening in Paris, securing her place as the world’s top 800 meter runner.
Hodgkinson looked smooth and confident through the rounds of the 800 meters in Paris, taking control of each the heats and the semi-final rounds. Come the final, however, she would face Mary Moraa, the defending Olympic champion.
Both Hodgkinson and Moraa came into the final without a blemish to their record in these Games, and through the midpoint of the race, the two contenders were neck and neck. After 1:56.72 however, it would be Keely ringing the bell in Paris. Ethiopia’s Tisge Duguma would overtake Moraa for the silver, finishing in 1:57.15, a personal best, and Tokyo Olympic champion from Kenya would settle for third, running the 800m in 1:57.42.
Watch Keely Hodgkinson’s Olympic Championship performance here, via YouTube
Keely Hodgkinson adds this Olympic medal to the many accolades she has earned in 2024. After skipping the indoor season to focus on the upcoming Paris Games, she showed the world that it was the right decision for her. She started her 800m season at the Pre Classic with a victory, and continued through with win after win, earning the top of the podium at the European Championships and the London Diamond League meeting. At the London DL, she would set the British record for the event, running 1:54.51 – apparently a perfect tune up for the Olympics in Paris.
