Team GB Olympic gold medallist Keely Hodgkinson has opened up about her hopes to marry and start a family
Keely Hodgkinson has disclosed her plans to tie the knot and begin a family within the coming decade. The 24-year-old shot to stardom at the Paris 2024 Olympics after claiming gold in the 800m, four years on from securing silver in the same discipline at the Tokyo 2020 Games.
The Team GB sensation has since emerged as one of the leading figures in British athletics, with many tracking both her competitive exploits and her personal life beyond the sport.
Hodgkinson spoke candidly about her aspirations for the next 10 years during an appearance on Welsh sprinter Jeremiah Azu’s YouTube channel.
The 25-year-old, who is the 2025 World Indoor Champion over 60 metres, asked the Atherton-born athlete what single ambition she hopes to fulfil over the next decade. Hodgkinson replied: “Mine is not related to track at all.
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“Mine is I’d like to start a family and get married. That’s a big thing for me. I’ll be 34, I’d like to think I’d had a baby by then and I really look forward to that point of my life at some point.”
She has previously opened up about her romantic life, revealing that her three-year relationship with a fellow athlete came to an end at the start of 2024 owing to long-distance challenges.
Speaking to The Times in October that year, she explained: “He lived in Texas for a bit, then in Italy, then London. There was always a distance.
“Because I do what I do and put that first, we could go weeks, months and not see each other. I’m not really interested in dating right now. I’ve never been on the apps. I like meeting people in real life.”
Hodgkinson made her return to competition last week at the British Athletics Championship to compete in the 400m final, but withdrew from the track moments before the race was due to start.
She took her place in lane nine, but it quickly became clear something was amiss as a visibly distressed Hodgkinson moved to the edge of the track while officials surrounded her.
The athlete was then seen in tears as she departed, later explaining on social media the reasoning behind her choice not to compete. She posted in a statement: “I wasn’t feeling 100 per cent standing on the start line, so I made the tough decision to step away and not race. I didn’t want to risk anything ahead of this summer.”
She subsequently added on Instagram: “Leaving champs healthy!! Sometimes the hard decision is saying no, body wasn’t feeling 100[per cent], exciting summer ahead.”