With her inaugural Keely Klassic meeting, Olympic hero and newly-crowned BBC Sports Personality wants to get people talking about athletics again after being “lost” in football behemoth
With her inaugural Keely Klassic meeting, Olympic hero and newly-crowned BBC Sports Personality wants to get people talking about athletics again after being “lost” in football behemoth With her inaugural Keely Klassic meeting, Olympic hero and newly-crowned BBC Sports Personality wants to get people talking about athletics again after being “lost” in football behemoth
Olympics hero Keely Hodgkinson wants to fire athletics into football’s stratosphere after launching her own indoor meeting for 2025.
The inaugural Keely Klassic will bring together some of Britain’s world-class track and field talent at Utilita Arena Birmingham on Saturday February 15. Newly-crowned BBC Sports Personality of the Year Hodgkinson has already won an army of fans for her brilliant 800m gold in Paris.
And after the nation voted to make her their No1 sporting star last night, she hopes to further inspire in the new year. The Keely Klassic will culminate with the golden girl attempting to break Slovenia’s Jolanda Ceplak’s world 800m short track record of 1.55.82 which was set on March 3, 2002 – the very day Hodgkinson was born.
She admitted: “I think track over the years has got a bit lost with all the football in this country and it’s not a top, top sport. But we have such great people in it. We have seen with the Olympics that when it is put out there, they are really fun events.
“Some of my friends who had never been to a track meet came to the Olympics and said it was an experience they will never forget. We can definitely give that to people more often with the calibre of athletes we have all around the world.
“I am just excited to do that and I love to inspire people, whether it’s to watch it, try it, get them off the couch for their mental health. It’s a great opportunity for that. We are looking forward to putting something fun out there, creating a legacy within ourselves.”
It is set to be a high-octane hour-long show including live music and targeting younger fans. It will also mark her first race since those Olympic heroics completed a remarkable unbeaten season. On her SPOTY success, Hodgkinson, 22, admitted: “I started to read the names [on the trophy] and you realise it is history right in front of you: Bobby Moore, Mary Rand, Linford Christie, Steve Cram… it goes on forever so to have my name on there is really great.
“And you never know, someone in 30 years might be looking back and saying ‘oh it’s Keely Hodgkinson.’”
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Due to be back training with 1500m track splits today, she paid tribute to her coach Trevor Painter who won SPOTY Coach of the Year with wife Jenny Meadows. She said: “Trevor had a really nice comment the other day.
“Someone was talking to Man City and said ‘I didn’t realise the Pep Guardiola of athletics was working next door.’ That shows what he has done. The organisation is insane – that of a football Premier League team minus the cash – and I’m glad he’s finally getting recognition. I always know, with the great plan that Trevor and Jenny have, that amazing things can happen.”
Asked if she ever thinks about being next to one of the richest clubs in the world when undergoing her training, Hodgkinson instantly quipped: “No – because I support United!”
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She admitted it’s hard to comprehend what she has already achieved in her blossoming career having already upgraded her silver as a teenager in the Tokyo Olympics – when she broke Kelly Holmes’ British record – and now become the sixth-fastest woman in history over two laps. The two-time European champion said: “With athletics, life moves so fast paced. It will probably be something I look back on in 20 years’ time and really appreciate. I loved Paris. Tonight has been the best way my year could end, it couldn’t really go any better, so I am really grateful for that.
“But now it’s how can I maintain this, how can I keep going. Hopefully I will look back and be able to cherish everything that has happened.”
It was a good night for Wigan: her coaches are from the town, she hails from nearby Atherton and they sometimes train at Wigan Warriors, who were named BBC Sport Personality Team of the Year.
Asked what it is about the place that yields such glory, Hodgkinson said: ” We pop down there and see the Warriors team. They work really hard and we work just as hard as well. I think it’s the weather, it’s sh***! I think about all the athletes I compete against and think they couldn’t do it in Wigan.”
Mirror – Sport
