Inside life of Keely Hodgkinson - upbringing, sacrifices and 'weird' training regime

Keely Hodgkinson has been crowned the 800m women's Olympic champion. The Atherton-born runner, who grabbed silver in the same event at Tokyo 2020, beat competition from the likes of Kenya's Mary Moraa to come out on top at the Stade de France in Paris.

Hodgkinson set a new British record at the Diamond League Games just two weeks ago and was one of Team GB's greatest medal hopes in the track and field. And she delivered exactly what she wanted, three years since finishing second in Japan behind Athing Mu with a time of 1:55.88.

Despite recording a slower time this time around, crossing the finishing line 1:56.72, Hodgkinson managed to finally claim the gold she has been craving. After winning, the 22-year-old celebrated alongside an army of British fans and tears began to flow from her eyes as she toasted a famous victory.

Steve Cram told BBC Sport: "Gold for Keely, gold for Great Britain, gold for being brilliant. A tougher race than she might have expected but she is so good and so much better than everyone else that even when the pressure and the challenge came she stood up to it and moved away."

Hodgkinson's likeable personality has made her a popular figure within the GB team. Her early mentor, Margaret Galvin, has recalled how Hodgkinson was "always special".

Even as a youngster at Leigh Harriers since nine years old, she consistently topped county championships across age divisions, remaining humble through her successes, reports the Mirror.

Galvin recalls Hodgkinson's dedication in a chat with local press: "She was always a great trainer, and she sacrificed a lot because there are always competing things going on in a young person's life. But Keely always put racing first; I remember her coming back from family