The first British woman ever to win Olympic gold in the 800m race says Team GB's newest champion Keely Hodgkinson is in a "class of her own". Anne Packer, who now lives in Congleton, crossed the finish line in world record time when she won in 1964 - a race she almost decided to skip to go shopping. In Paris on Monday, Hodgkinson dominated the field to finish in one minute 56.
72 seconds. Speaking to BBC North West Tonight, Packer said Hodgkinson put on a "magnificent performance" to become only the third female 800m gold medallist for Great Britain. Packer, who said she watched the race with two of her sons, said: "It was a magnificent performance and although she had been tipped to win, all sorts of things can happen and they do.
"She ran a magnificent race and she was really in a class of her own." Hodgkinson, from Atherton, had finished second at successive World Championships after claiming silver on her Olympic debut in Tokyo 2021. In Paris, however, Hodgkinson followed in the footsteps of Packer and Dame Kelly Holmes, who won gold in Athens 2004.
While the 22-year-old was a heavy favourite, Packer's win in Tokyo 1964 was much more unexpected. She said she had been a favourite for the 400m event, but was beaten "fair and square" on the day by Australia's Betty Cuthbert. She qualified for the final in the 800m, but had never run the distance at international level and suggested to her late husband, fellow athlete Robbie Brightwell, that she might go shopping.
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