Keely admits, ‘I am a different person now’

GB ATHLETICS HERO SAYS HER ATTITUDE TO GOALS HAS CHANGED

- By John Jones

Keely Hodgkinson celebrates winning the 800m during ATHLOS NYC25 on October 10, 2025 at Icahn Stadium in New York City

ATHLETICS Team GB hero Keely Hodgkinson has admitted she broke the promise she made to herself ahead of winning gold at the Paris Olympics last year.

The 800m star became the first British woman to win the Olympic title at that distance since Kelly Holmes two decades earlier, having won silver in the same discipline at the delayed 2020 Games in Tokyo.

It was the highlight of the 23-year-old’s short — but remarkably successful career so far, with the win also catapulting her to a new level of fame.

Ahead of the Olympics, Hodgkinson admitted during an appearance on The High Performance Podcast that writing her name in the history books was not her only motivation for winning gold, having set her sights on buying herself a new luxury car if she topped the podium.

“I want a new car,’ she told co-hosts Damian Hughes and Jake Humphrey. “If I get the gold, it’s a nice payday, and T'll buy myself a new car. I want a Porsche, the low down sports one, it’s a really nice beige colour. It’s just hot.”