Great Britain's Keely Hodgkinson claims Olympic gold in women's 800 metre final in Paris

Keely Hodgkinson was favourite to win gold in this year's Olympics in Paris. Credit: PA Images

Keely Hodgkinson has stormed to Olympic gold in the women’s 800 metre final at the Stade de France in Paris.

The world silver medallist was the heavy favourite heading, not just into Monday night’s final, but well ahead of these Games.

On a blisteringly hot 10th night of the Paris games, Keely took the lead on the first lap to go and held on to win in 1:56:72.

Behind her was Tsige Duguma of Ethiopia in a personal best of 1:57:15, with Mary Moraa, the world champion, taking bronze in 1:57:42.

Keeley was calm and collected, moving up from fifth to first entering the final lap and cruised across the line in 1:56.72. Credit: PA Images

The 22-year-old athlete is first gold medal winner for Team GB since Mo Farah clinched double-gold in the Rio 2016 games.

Keely breezed into the final with a time of 1:56.86 in Saturday’s semi-finals, finishing in first place to cement her position as the runner to beat.

Fellow Team GB middle distance runners Jemma Reekie and Phoebe Gill missed out, meaning British hopes rested on Hodgkinson's shoulders alone.

With Monday's Olympic gold, Keely, from Atherton, Greater Manchester, has now won 11 major medals in her career so far.

She won silver on her debut at the Tokyo games in 2021, breaking Dame Kelly Holmes’ 26-year-old British record in the process.

Great Britain's Keely Hodgkinson during the Women's 800m Semi-Final at the Stade de France. Credit: PA Images

The Olympian went on to collect silvers at back-to-back world championships and the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.

In June, it emerged her main rival, defending Olympic champion Athing Mu, had not made the American team after falling at the US trials.

The Manchester United supporter was gifted a good luck shirt signed by the Red Devils before her Olympic send-off.

The silver streak came to an end on Monday, when Keely became the first British woman to win an Olympic 800m title since Dame Kelly reached the top of the podium in Athens 20 years ago – when Hodgkinson was just two years old.

And the crowd who'd gathered at Leigh Harriers Athletics Club, where Keely learned to race were delighted with the result.

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