Keely Hodgkinson at National Television Awards 2024 - Arrivals - Source: Getty

"I wasn't happy with that" - Olympic Champion Keely Hodgkinson shares honest opinion on losing out on the gold medal at the World Championships

Modified Dec 18, 2024 04:57 GMT

Keely Hodgkinson capped an undefeated 800m season with a gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Ahead of the BBC Sports Personality Awards, where she is among the nominees, the 22-year-old spoke about her performance at the World Championships.

Hodgkinson bagged a series of silver medals before her victory in Paris. These included the Tokyo Olympics and the World Championships in 2022 and 2023.

Speaking to Athletics Weekly, the 22-year-old was asked about her disappointment on missing out on gold at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest, when she lost out to Kenya's Mary Moraa. Hodgkinson said that she wasn't happy with the silver at the time because of her strong desire to win.

"Yeah, I think, each silver I've had is like, kind of meant something different. So, Tokyo was obvisouly a whirlwind. It was amazing. It was unexpected. The one in Oregon I was like, okay, we've maintained, we've closed the gap. But I want more in Budapest. I wasn't happy with that one because I really really wanted to win and I maybe made a few mistakes looking back, but you learn from that," Hodgkinson said (1:10 onwards).

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Keely Hodgkinson's determination paid off in 2024 with an impressive season, culminating in her first Olympic gold medal in Paris.

Keely Hodgkinson reflects on her Gold Medal Performance at the 2024 Paris Olympics

Keely Hodgkinson at Olympic Games Paris 2024 - Source: Getty

Hodgkinson spoke about her triumph at the Paris Olympics during her aforementioned interview with Athletics Weekly, stating:

"I'm just over the moon that it all came together, you can work so hard and sometimes it not always be executed as well as you like it to be, so yeah, I'm so happy I finally got my gold medal." (0:09)

Hodgkinson won her heat and clocked the best timing in the semifinals to qualify for the 800m final at the Paris Olympics. Here, she clocked 1:56.72 to win the gold medal, becoming the first Brit to win the event since Kelly Holmes in 2004. She beat out Tsige Duguma and Mary Moraa, who clinched silver and bronze, respectively.

Hodginson's Paris Olympics saw her win the BBC Sports Personality of the year award, beating out the likes of darts player Luke Littler and cricketer Joe Root. The 22-year-old became the first athlete to win the award since Mo Farah in 2017.