Team GB have won their first gold medal in athletics at the Paris Olympics this evening – and it was Keely Hodgkinson who did it, with an astounding effort in the 800m final.
We had high hopes for Hodgkinson after she finished first in yesterday’s semi-final, and we know that she had gold in her sights. “I’m sick of silver!” she said. “I want gold.” Even watching her warm-up, it was clear that she was full of confidence and ready to run a tactical race.
She quickly settled at the front of the pack just after the 200m mark, and held her lead sometimes by just shoulder’s distance until they reached the final straight. At that point, she took off, leaving the rest of the runners in her wake as they sprinted to the finish line.
She crossed the line first with a time of 1:56:72, followed by Tsige Duguma of Ethiopia and Mary Moraa of Kenya.
We are absolutely chuffed for her. After winning silver at Tokyo, we know how much she wanted to get the gold – and get it she did.
We can’t wait to see how Team GB will do over the next few days of athletics – watch this space for more updates!
