jeremy wilson
·5 min read
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Keely Hodgkinson won an imperious 800 metres gold medal in the Olympic Games in Paris, blowing her rivals away with a sensational display. Here is how she did it.
Making them wait
The lights were suddenly dimmed and then the television cameras panned to a pensive Keely Hodgkinson sitting inside the call room. The moment of destiny had arrived.
Only the French hope Renelle Lamote would receive a louder cheer as, one by one, the eight finalists were introduced to a fevered 70,000 Stade de France.
Hodgkinson was last, immediately sprinting down the first 50 metres of the home straight in a final bid to warm up her legs before demonstrating the experience that she accumulated since winning Olympic silver as an unknown teenager three years ago.
The other seven finalists were ready to go but Hodgkinson, as is her right, treated the Olympic final like she would any other race and made them wait; taking an extra sprint up the first 30 metres of the track. She then calmly walked back to the start, sprung up and down in the air, and awaited the starter’s gun.
Hitting the front early
Hodgkinson’s superiority was such that the moment of biggest jeopardy would actually come as the runners broke from their lanes shortly after entering the first back straight. Hodgkinson was in lane five – an ideal place for a bend – but potentially hazardous as the runners moved into a bunch. The Ethiopian Tsige Duguma, who had won the world indoor title earlier this year, cut straight across Hodgkinson from lane nine while the big threat – world outdoor champion Mary Moraa – also moved inside after starting outside the Briton.
Hodgkinson responded by upping the pace to move into second place and then, as the race entered the home straight with 500m to go, made a subtle but absolutely decisive surge to the front. She is convinced that she only lost the world title last year to Moraa after giving up a potential move to the front and was not about to make the same mistake again. Having led the group at the bell in what for her was a comfortable 58.3sec, Hodgkinson had the race exactly where she wanted it.
Controlling the field
As Hodgkinson moved into a life-changing final lap, a high-speed game of poker ensued. The pre-race plan now involved the non-negotiable tactic of never again giving up the lead but, to maximise her chances of that, Hodgkinson could not strike too quickly.
Two relatively fast races in the previous three days would have had some impact on her legs and so what followed was a masterclass in controlled front-running that was reminiscent of how Seb Coe managed Steve Cram’s challenge in the Olympic 1500m final of 1984.
Moraa predictably moved up to her shoulder along the back straight but, sensing her presence, Hodgkinson again responded with a subtle change of pace. She also had the race-craft to just move into the middle of lane, forcing Moraa wider, but not leaving a gap for Duguma to make a surprise move on the inside.
Having failed down the back straight, Moraa again surged alongside Hodgkinson as they moved around the last bend but the Briton had managed the race perfectly and was in prime position with a half-metre advantage as they entered the final straight.
Switching to turbo
Moraa’s two attempts to pass Hodgkinson were the limit of her capabilities. Hodgkinson by contrast had still been saving her top gear and, demonstrating the depth of speed endurance that she has built working with the Wigan coaches Trevor Painter and Jenny Meadows, simply switched into overdrive.
Daylight opened instantly and, while Duguma did finish strongly enough to get past Moraa, there was never the slightest of doubt about gold as Hodgkinson simply romped to victory in 1min 56.72sec. There was even time for a glance up at the stadium big screen while cantering down the home straight.
Hodgkinson is capable of running more than two seconds quicker but the significant statistic here was that she had managed the race so well that her second lap was virtually identical in speed to the first. It might not look like it, but an 800m race often comes down to who slows down least and Hodgkinson had not faltered in the slightest.
As she crossed the line, she raised her left hand to her face in almost disbelief. Hodgkinson has been thinking about this moment every day for a year.
And then a surge of adrenaline hit and she skipped down the track, punched the air in joy, before being handed a Union flag.
Her first thought was to find the area where numerous family and friends – including dad Dean, who was crying and mum Rachel – had gathered to share the moment.
Great Britain has previously only had three post-war Olympic 800m champions; Ann Packer, Steve Ovett and Kelly Holmes. To this most illustrious list, we can now add the name Keely Hodgkinson.
