What did Keely Hodgkinson say? Who is the Team GB 800m runner and how did she win silver at Tokyo Olympics

The British runner was in shock after winning Olympic silver yesterday – and so to were some viewers shortly afterwards.

Keeley Hodgkinson left viewers shocked in the aftermath of her silver medal win yesterday when she could be heard audibly swearing in excitement live on TV.

And no wonder the 19-year-old was so enthusiastic about her medal win after securing Team GB’s first track medal. The teen star secured a superb second place finish in the women’s 800m final, breaking a British national record at the same time by completing the race in one minute and 55.21 seconds.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad
The silver medal winner shocked viewers after her Olympic win.The silver medal winner shocked viewers after her Olympic win.
The silver medal winner shocked viewers after her Olympic win.

Despite narrowly losing out on the gold to American Athing Mu, the race capped off a remarkable year for the runner, who has seen her stature within the sport grow immeasurably.

She was competing with fellow Team GB team mates Jemma Reekie and Alex Bell in the race. Sadly, Reekie narrowly missed out on a medal by finishing in fourth place though Bell, who finished seventh, completed her personal best time.

Who is Keely Hodgkinson?

The 19-year-old runner hails from Wigan in Greater Manchester. As well as specialising in 800m running, she also currently studies criminology at Leeds Beckett University.

She competes for Leigh Harriers and is now officially the eighth fastest woman over 800m of all time after Tuesday’s showing in the Tokyo Olympics 2020.

It’s the second time Hodgkinson has broken a record this year. She smashed the world under-20 indoor record by running 800m in 1:59.03 sec in Vienna back in January.

The runner become Britain’s youngest gold medal winner since 1970 when she won the European Indoor Championships in Poland.

Previously, Hodgkinson was European under-18 champion in 2018, and under-20 bronze medallist in 2019.

What did Keely Hodgkinson say?

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The Hogkinson’s excitement at winning the silver in Tokyo caused the GB athlete to shout “what the f***” on live TV.

Her podium finish was caught on camera, where she audibly blurted out the expletive before sharing the special moment with someone in the stands at the Olympic Stadium.

In her post race interview, the overjoyed teen said she had a list of things she hoped to do in celebration of her achievements.

A “guilt-free night in a club”, alongside having the chance to sit “in one of the posh seats at Old Trafford” were just two of the first things she said she hopes to do.

She told BBC’s Sam Quek, Denise Lewis and Dan Walker that she hasn’t watched the race back yet, as she is “waiting for her Mum to send it to her”.

"It’s all a bit of a blur, I don’t remember much” she told the BBC. "I put it all out there, I did my best and I came back with a huge personal best and this beautiful little medal.”

Hodgkinson also shared the motivational quotes her parents had written her in the run up to the race with former champion Olympic gold medal winner Lewis. She had posted a handwritten note on her Instagram page that read: “Make sure you test positive for faith, keep your distance from doubt and isolate yourself from fear.”

"My Dad, for the past week, has sent me a quote for each morning and that was the first one he ever sent me” said the silver medal winner.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

"I thought it was quite a beautiful quote and I took that with me.”

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this article. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by Coronavirus impacts our advertisers.

If you haven't already, please consider supporting our trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription.

Related topics:

Comments

 0 comments

Want to join the conversation? Please or to comment on this article.