Keely Hogkinson's journey from Wigan schoolgirl to Gold medallist as fans react to Sport Personality of the Year triumph

Keely Hodgkinson’s path to stardom began young. Born in Atherton in Wigan, and growing up around the Greater Manchester borough, the 22-year-old had big dreams.

She graduated from Fred Longworth High School in Tyldesley. Aged 16, she became the European under-18 champion, while at 17 she won her first national senior title at the British Indoor Championships.

Her athletic talent had been obvious from an early age, with Hodgkinson joining Leigh Harriers at the age of nine and, inspired by Jessica Ennis-Hill’s Olympic heptathlon victory in 2012, soon winning races in her local area.

READ MORE Wigan's Keely Hodgkinson named Sports Personality of the Year after Olympic 800m gold

She added the outdoor title later in 2020, then the following year Hodgkinson broke into the mainstream with a string of prodigious performances.

She first broke two minutes for the first time to set an under-20 world record, the first by a British woman in 36 years, before becoming European indoor champion. Hodgkinson was the youngest ever winner of the 800m at the event in Poland, which marked her senior international debut.

That summer she made her Olympic bow and won the silver medal. Still only a teenager, Hodgkinson’s time of 1min 55.88secs broke Dame Kelly Holmes’ British record.

She finished runner-up at the World Championships in 2022 and 2023, as well as the 2022 Commonwealth Games, with her rivals Athing Mu and Mary Moraa conspiring to keep her off the top step of the podium.

She remained unbeatable at European level both indoors and outdoors, before her brilliant Olympic title in Paris. She won the hearts of Great Britain and brought the nation to its feet when she clinched gold to become the Olympic 800m champion at the 2024 Summer