Keely Hodgkinson was a sporty child, but not in the way you might think. At primary school in Atherton, Greater Manchester, she was never happier than when in the swimming pool. But as the daughter of keen runners who had spotted her ability early on, perhaps her destiny was already fixed.
“I used to have arguments with my dad because he would say you’re a much better runner,” said Hodgkinson . Talent ran in the family’s genes – her mother belonged to Leigh Harriers, the club that would eventually be hers too. But it took a bribe with a pair of track shoes to set her on course, together with her very own fan girl moment.
When Hodgkinson was 10, she watched Jessica Ennis-Hill claim gold in the heptathlon at the London 2012 Olympics after racing to victory in the event’s 800m final . “She was a big inspiration to me,” Hodgkinson has said. The swimsuit got packed away and the running started in earnest.
In the twelve years since, she has gone on to be crowned an Olympic medallist herself and on Monday evening secured Great Britain’s first gold on the track since Mo Farah’s double win in 2016. “I think being the champion, no one can ever take that away from me,” she said after her victory in Paris. Ennis-Hill, once her idol, has weighed in with advice since, advising Hodgkinson of the rarified atmosphere she has recently entered.
“Your life will change overnight after gold,” she said. And it has, even though Hodgkinson had already clocked up three Euro.