- The 22-year-old became 800m Olympic champion after a dominant showing
- Keely Hodgkinson was visibly emotional as she received her gold medal in Paris
- Heart-warming scenes saw Hodgkinson break down in tears on the podium
Keely Hodgkinson couldn’t hold back the tears as she was awarded her Olympic 800m gold medal in emotional scenes at the Stade de France on Tuesday.
The 22-year-old produced a dominant performance in Paris to end her wait for a first global title as she claimed gold by beating Ethiopia’s Tsige Duguma and Kenyan runner Mary Moraa.
Victory saw Hodgkinson become only the 10th British woman to win an athletics gold medal at the Olympics – and the first since Jessica Ennis-Hill in 2012, with the medal ceremony giving her the moment to celebrate the sensational success.
The moment she had been waiting for finally arrived following a night of Olympic partying with friends and family, and Hodgkinson cried with delight when she was presented with the gold medal.
Maintaining composure while being handed her gong by World Athletics President Sebastian Coe, Hodgkinson then broke down in tears as the British national anthem was played in a heart-warming moment of recognition.
Keely Hodgkinson couldn’t hold back the tears as she was awarded her Olympic 800m gold medal
The 22-year-old produced a dominant performance in Paris to end her wait for a first global title
Getting to this moment has been a long and emotional one for the new golden girl of British athletics who as a teenager had to face a tumour battle which left her partially deaf in one ear.
She was later forced to limit her training schedule in the following years after the operation to remove the tumour was successful and faced a huge test as a youngster to continue chasing her dream.
Hodgkinson’s inspirational Olympic gold places her in esteemed company as the world No.1 emulated the accomplishments of Kelly Holmes in 2004 and Ann Packer in 1964.
More to follow.
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