No rest for the wicked! After winning gold, Keely Hodgkinson left the Stade de France at midnight, partied until 4am, then went back to her room to watch replay of the race...
now she wants the WORLD RECORD Keely Hodgkinson stormed to a brilliant gold medal in the 800m for Team GB The 22-year-old went into Paris city centre to celebrate her golden triumph By David Coverdale Published: 22:30, 6 August 2024 | Updated: 22:30, 6 August 2024 e-mail View comments The party started by the Moulin Rouge and it will carry on in Marbella. Keely Hodgkinson has waited all her life for her gold-medal moment – and she is not going to miss the chance to mark it. ‘I’ve had about 90 minutes sleep,’ admitted the bleary-eyed Brit the morning after the momentous night before.
‘I didn’t get to sleep until about 4:30am. I’m absolutely knackered.’ Hodgkinson only left the Stade de France shortly before midnight on Monday night, such was the media interest in her following her stunning win in the Olympic 800 metres final.
She then took an Uber straight to the famous Pigalle quarter in Paris, the home of the legendary Moulin Rouge cabaret. In a bar called French Flair, dozens of Hodgkinson’s friends and family - sporting ‘Team Keely 24’ T-shirts designed by her dad Dean – were already toasting the new Olympic champion. ‘The atmosphere was absolute vibes,’ recalled Hodgkinson.
‘Everyone was drunk, as you can imagine! The bar was absolutely rammed with friends and faces I hadn’t seen in a long time. Friends of my mum, people I didn’t know, people I did know. Keely Hodgkinson (second from right) celebrates her gold medal in the Pigalle quarter of Paris Dressed in Team GB attire, Hodgkinson leaves a taxi to join friends and family to celebrate Hodgkinson hit the town after claiming her gold medal at the Olympics Your browser does not support iframes.
‘I had a little cheeky one. But I was tired last night, so I didn’t want to make any silly mistakes!’ Hodgkinson left the bar earlier than the rest of Team Keely to return to the athletes’ village. It was there that the events of six hours earlier first started to sink in.
READ MORE Team GB golden girl Keely Hodgkinson SOBS with delight as she is awarded her Olympic 800m gold medal ‘It was about 4 o’clock in the morning, when I finally had a moment to myself,’ she said. ‘I re-watched the race back and it was really good to see and to listen to the commentary. It was surreal.
’ Britain’s most in-demand sporting superstar was back up early for another round of interviews on Tuesday morning at Team GB House. She then returned to the Stade de France on Tuesday night, 24 hours after the greatest night of her life, to be awarded her gold medal at her victory ceremony. Next up for Hodgkinson is some Spanish sun, as she will fly to meet her family in Marbella today.
‘I haven't been on a family holiday since 2019,’ she said. ‘I'll be on the beach having a nice glass of rose wine!’ As for other treats, Hodgkinson said she was looking forward to eating chocolate and cake, having only allowed herself avocado brownies in Paris. As a present for herself if she won Olympic gold, she had previously pledged to buy a beige Porsche Cayman.
She met friends at the Flare bar in Paris' Pigale district, which is home to the Moulin Rouge The 22-year-old Olympic champion shares laughs with friends at the French bar Dozens of Hodgkinson’s friends and family were there to toast the new Olympic champion Is that still the plan? ‘I’d love to,’ said Hodgkinson, whose victory banked her £39,000 in prize money. ‘Although I don’t know if my insurance will let me! I will go and have a look. If they want to let me take it for a test drive, I'm down for that.
’ READ MORE Revealed: Keely Hodgkinson's BIZARRE recovery outfit that powered the Team GB star to 800m glory Hodgkinson is also eyeing up another shiny purchase. ‘I have a silver Cartier ring that I like, but I’d like to get the gold one to stack on top,’ she said. ‘I think that will be a nice little touch to go with the champs.
’ Porsche and Cartier are the sort of luxury brands who could now be looking to sign the new heroine of British sport. Hodgkinson’s agent told Mail Sport that he was ‘already talking to some of the biggest brands in fashion’ about future partnerships should she strike gold. And the Atherton athletes is ready to seize upon anything that might come her way.
‘I always love to have a go at the opportunities that come my way from track and field,’ she said. ‘That is the enjoyment part of it, the stuff you wouldn’t have got before.’ Those who know Hodgkinson, however, insist there is no danger her increased commercial commitments will distract from her athletics.
Indeed, just 45 minutes after her 800m final victory, she met her husband-and-wife coaching team of Trevor Painter and Jenny Meadows in the bowels of the Stade de France and instantly set out her next target. Hodgkinson left the city centre at 4am before returning to the athletes village She returned to her room where she re-watched her triumphant moment with commentary Your browser does not support iframes. Your browser does not support iframes.
‘I gave her a hug because it was the first time I've spoke to her without the crowd,’ explained Meadows. ‘I said, “Keely, you're the Olympic champion, what more is there to achieve in the sport?”. She said, “World record”.
So she's already thinking about the next step.’ That world record is the longest-standing on the track, having been set by Czech runner Jarmila Kratochvilova in 1983. Hodgkinson’s best of 1min 54.
61sec – which set ran in London last month – is still someway short of Kratochvilova’s 1:53.28. But Hodgkinson and her coaches believe she can seriously threaten it.
‘The way the women’s 800m is going and the way technology is helping us, we can start looking at the world record and see how close we can get,’ said Hodgkinson. ‘I am lucky I work with one of the best brands in the world, Nike, who love their tech and advancements. ‘That world record is the longest-standing track world record, so to get anywhere near that when nobody has been near it in 30-odd years would be an incredible achievement.
I’d love to give it a go.’ Hodgkinson’s first chance will come at the Diamond League meetings in Zurich and Brussels next month. But further ahead, she has more gold in her sights, starting with next summer’s World Championships in Tokyo, the scene of where she first made her name as a 19-year-old with a silver at the Games in 2021.
‘I don’t have a World Championship gold yet, that is the one I am missing,’ she said. ‘So that would definitely be up there to go back to Tokyo, where it all began, and try and get a gold medal there.’ Hodgkinson’s coaches do not expect her to peak for another five years.
She has already promised them she will compete at another two Olympics, at Los Angeles in 2028 and Brisbane in 2032, when she would be 30. Should she go on to triumph in both, she would be the first British track and field athlete to win the same title three times. Hodgkinson produced a dominant performance in Paris to end her wait for a first global title Painter has also not ruled out his runner continuing to a fifth Games in 2036, pointing out that Kelly Holmes won her 800m gold in Athens when she was 34.
‘I’d love to be a four-time Olympian and let’s see if we can bring home medals form every single one,’ added Hodgkinson. ‘I think that’s a great challenge. ‘When you have achieved what I have achieved last night, I think then you have to start looking at, “OK.
What’s next? How do we keep the motivation going? The world of athletics just keeps moving.’ No woman over 800m, however, moves faster than Hodgkinson. Olympics Team GB Share or comment on this article: No rest for the wicked! After winning gold, Keely Hodgkinson left the Stade de France at midnight, partied until 4am, then went back to her room to watch replay of the race.
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