Keely Hodgkinson storms to stunning 800m gold

Athletics 05 Aug 24

Golden girl Keely Hodgkinson stormed to victory in the women's 800m to clinch Team GB's first athletics gold medal in eight years.

The 22-year-old raced clear of the field with 50m to go and crossed the line in a time of 1:56.72 to take the line and fulfil her pre-race favourite tag.

Ethiopia's Tsige Duguma was 0.43 seconds behind for the silver as Kenya's Mary Moraa clinched the bronze.

The achievement makes Hodgkinson the 10th British woman in history to win an athletics gold and the third British woman to the win 800m at the Olympics.

"That was absolutely incredible," she said. "I've worked so hard over the last year and you could see how much it meant to me as I crossed the line.

"I can't believe I've finally done it. It means so much to me. And to do it here, where better?

"The audience was absolutely incredible, it felt like a home crowd to me. So I'm super happy."

Hodgkinson eased through her heat and semi-final to set herself up as the one to beat in Paris.

And with Moraa sat on her shoulder coming around the final bend, Hodgkinson kicked on to take the gold and make history on the athletics track, and even had chance to crack a glance at the big screen.

"I had a cheeky look at the screen just to make sure but you can't do anything until you cross that line," she said.

"I'm now the Olympic champion for the next four years and nobody can take that away from me."

Earlier in the evening, Daryll Neita and Dina Asher-Smith ensured there will be two Team GB representatives in Tuesday’s final of the women’s 200m.

Neita continued her excellent Games by making a second final, having finished fourth in the 100m. She led for the first 150m of her 200m heat before being passed by Brittany Brown of the USA, comfortably progressing with a time of 22.24.

“Two finals, you can’t knock that,” said Neita. “It’s an amazing achievement.”

Having registered the third-fastest time in the heats, Asher-Smith put in another accomplished performance in the semi-finals.

Asher-Smith followed USA’s world silver medallist Gabrielle Thomas home in 22.31 to advance to Tuesday’s showpiece.

“It was good because I didn’t use much energy, I’m saving what I can for tomorrow,” she said.

That morning, Jessie Knight and Alastair Chalmers produced dramatic finishes to book their place in the semi-finals of the women’s and men’s 400m hurdles respectively.

Knight required a photo finish to get through her repechage, her time of 55.10 enough for second place in the second heat as she got through by five thousandths of a second whilst Chalmers produced a diving finish to get over the line in the men’s 400m hurdles.

In the women’s 400m, bronze medallists Amber Anning and Laviai Nielsen both eased into the next round. Victoria Ohuruogu will return for the repechage after she finished fourth in her heat in a time of 50.93.

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