World indoor record holder Keely Hodgkinson has caught the eye on the track and off it in 2026
Sebastian Coe’s recent remarks about Keely Hodgkinson’s authenticity aren’t the first time he’s lauded the Olympic champion for that specific quality. Former athlete Coe, who has led World Athletics for the past decade, regards his compatriot as a refreshing presence in the sport.
Hodgkinson shattered the indoor world record over 800m in February and now has the outdoor mark firmly in her crosshairs. And Olympiian and ex-Team GB star Coe is clearly a fan.
The 69-year-old recounted a story about encountering Hodgkinson during her birthday celebrations as proof of how down-to-earth and relatable the Manchester athlete remains even after some notable successes. That wasn’t the only example of the Sports Personality of the year demonstrating endearing qualities.
During an appearance on The Sports Agents podcast, Coe was quizzed by Gabby Logan about the world indoor champion’s recent remarks concerning West Ham United, tenants of the Olympic Stadium. “The GB team will bring back more medals to that stadium than West Ham have seen in their entire history,” Hodgkinson joked on social media.
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“I love Keely because you will only get authenticity,” Coe replied. “There’s none of this ‘Oh, I’ll see how I feel tomorrow’ or ‘One match at a time’ – she absolutely tells it as it is. I think she’s joyous company apart from anything.
“This year is probably the biggest year in British athletics… we’ve got a Commonwealth Games, we’ve got a European Championships, we’ve got a great Diamond League. It’s probably the best year for athletics in the UK since 2017.
“Keely’s not wrong. I’m pleased she knows her worth… she’s off-the-graph good but if you look statistically she’s still got a couple of years before she hits her peak.”
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You don’t have to look far for examples of the on-track quality which has seen Hodgkinson develop into a force to be reckoned with. An injury-plagued 2025 meant an attempt at the outdoor world record has had to wait, but she set a new indoor record in February before securing world indoor gold in Poland the following month.
She finished more than a second ahead of the field in Torun, and the aim during the outdoor season will be Jarmila Kratochvilova’s record, which has stood for over 40 years. Away from the track, however, the Team GB ace still seems remarkably grounded.
During an earlier appearance on the UNTAPPED podcast, Coe spoke enthusiastically about the 24 year old. “What you see with Keely is what you get,” he said. “She is very funny, she’s totally driven, but she puts things in perspective.
“I was up in Manchester not that long ago and I bumped into her one night going into a restaurant. I was on my way out. I’d sort of done the early shift and she turned up and it was her birthday. It was a couple of weeks… I mean she’d only just broken the indoor world record.
“She was only literally a few days away from destroying the field and winning her world indoor title and she was just out celebrating her birthday. She’s just completely normal, but she is incredibly well talented. She’s got a great coaching team around her.”