Olympic 800m champion was recognised in the King’s New Year Honours List for her contribution to athletics
Keely Hodgkinson has stated she wants to put athletics “on the map” after receiving her MBE at Windsor Castle (May 13).
The Olympic 800m champion was awarded the accolade for her contribution to athletics – last year she broke her own British record with 1:54.61, topped the podium in Paris and was then crowned BBC Sports Personality of the Year.
The 23-year-old became just the third British female to secure gold in the 800m at the Games – after Ann Packer at Tokyo 1964 and Kelly Holmes at Athens 2004 – and is now intent on inspiring the next generation.
That could also include Princess Charlotte after Prince William, who handed Hodgkinson her MBE, told the Olympic champion that his daughter is a keen runner.
“The prince told me that she is doing the 400m and the hurdles at the minute and that she did watch me in Paris,” Hodgkinson said. “He told me that he remembers me winning and that he wished he could be there to see it himself.”
Hodgkinson hasn’t competed since the Olympics and is planning to open up her season at next month’s Stockholm Diamond League (June 15).
The women’s field features all eight of the top-ranked 800m runners in the world, meaning that Hodgkinson will face compatriots Georgia Hunter-Bell and Jemma Reekie in the Swedish capital.
She will also go up against Tsige Duguma and Mary Moraa, who secured 800m silver and bronze respectively in Paris.
Hodgkinson had set her sights on breaking Jolanda Čeplak’s long-standing world indoor 800m record of 1:55.82 back at her own event – the Keely Klassic in Birmingham – in February.
However, the Brit’s plans were scuppered by a hamstring injury, sustained during her final training session before the meet.
Now, after another training block in South Africa, Hodgkinson is ready to go again.
“Currently I feel really good, we’re in a really good place,” she said. “The hamstring progressed nicely, we took our time with it and we have had no problems so far back in training, which has been really positive.
“We’re kind of on track. I’m still four or five weeks away from opening my season but I’m looking forward to it and it’s [Stockholm Diamond League] a big race, it’s basically an Olympic final again.”
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