Keely Hodgkinson has had a really robust 2024 in her build-up to Roma 2024 and now Paris 2024. This piece by Stuart Weir jogs my memory of how gifted Keely Hodgkinson is and the way we’ll see the battles between Athing Mu and Keely Hodgkinson sooner or later, however positively not in Paris. Athing Mu’s fall in Eugene was the autumn heard world wide.
Keep in mind, form readers, Stuart Weir wrote this column in early June, through the European Champs. I had a household emergency, since coming to excellent news, and missed articles on the final two days of the championships.
Keely Hodgkinson retains the European 800 crown.
Keely Hodgkinson duly retained her European 800m title in Rome, ending in 1:58.65 in a race that noticed the highest six dip below 2 minutes. What wasn’t within the plan was for Keely, who had led the race from begin to end, to come back below a lot stress from the fast-finishing Gabriela Gajanova, who clocked 1:58.79.
Keely mentioned of her efficiency: “It was actually nice; it does give me additional confidence, and that championship follow – three rounds – is so totally different to doing simply the one on the circuit, so I’m glad to get that follow in early and to defend my European title. I believed in myself, and I believed the very best, best, and most secure approach to do it was to go to the entrance and management it, and I backed my power and pace to ship the gold. I’ll return to do some coaching for the trials; this time of 12 months is about ticking over, retaining the coaching in, all of the laborious work is completed, and surviving proper now”.
That Keely would win the European title was anticipated, Now as our ideas flip to the Paris Olympics, what will we study Keely and her opponents? Keely’s document in international championships is three-second locations. In Tokyo 2021, she ran 1:55.88 to Athing Mu’s 1:55.21. Within the 2022 Worlds, it was 1:56.38 behind Mu’s 1:56.30, with Mary Moraa third. Within the 2023 Worlds, Keely ran 1:56.34, with Mary Moraa successful 1:56.03 with Mu third.
The three amigos are all 22 or 23 however so totally different. Keely is kind of an extrovert. She runs so much—13 races final 12 months and already 5 in 2024. Athing Mu, in distinction, has not run this 12 months and solely ran twice final 12 months outdoors of the world champs. Mary Moraa has received 8 Diamond League races, and Keely has received 6, however Athing simply 3 signifies how little Athing runs. Concerning PR, Mu is quickest, 1:54.97, Hodgkinson 1:55.19, and Moraa 1:56.03.
It’s all very fascinating, however does it assist us decide who wins gold on the Olympics? All three have the expertise, however arguably, Mu has the best expertise. The query about Mu for me is, can she proceed to run so occasionally and but flip up on the Olympics and win? Mary Moraa is the reigning world champion, as proven within the Commonwealth Video games closing in 2022 when she went from first to eighth and eventually to first!
It will likely be laborious, however Keely has overwhelmed each the opposite two, however not concurrently. I feel 2024 might simply be Keely’s 12 months.
