{"id":244817,"date":"2026-05-23T11:42:38","date_gmt":"2026-05-23T11:42:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/23\/keely-hodgkinsons-character-clear-to-see-as-world-athletics-chief-doubles-down\/"},"modified":"2026-05-23T11:42:38","modified_gmt":"2026-05-23T11:42:38","slug":"keely-hodgkinsons-character-clear-to-see-as-world-athletics-chief-doubles-down","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/23\/keely-hodgkinsons-character-clear-to-see-as-world-athletics-chief-doubles-down\/","title":{"rendered":"Keely Hodgkinson&#8217;s character clear to see as World Athletics chief doubles down"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div id=\"article-body\">\n<h2 class=\"LeadText_lead-text__wd_PA __className_1c1e1b\" data-testid=\"leadtext\">World indoor record holder Keely Hodgkinson has caught the eye on the track and off it in 2026<\/h2>\n<p><button type=\"button\" class=\"SlideViewerButton_slide-viewer-button__BDJoG\" aria-label=\"Open image viewer\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-controls=\"image-lightbox\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-embed__0T8WX ImageEmbed_image-lead__Ti3qQ\" data-testid=\"leadimage\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-articleid=\"37196547\">\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-container__2AIQm\">\n<figure class=\"Figure_figure__Uce4f\" style=\"--figure-aspect-ratio:1.5\"><\/figure>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"ImageCaption_caption__j7HRu\" data-testid=\"image-caption\">\n<p aria-label=\"Keely Hodgkinson has continued making strides since winning gold at the Paris Olympics\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-title__ccyQU\" data-testid=\"caption-title\">Keely Hodgkinson has continued making strides since winning gold at the Paris Olympics<cite aria-label=\"Image: Michael Steele, Getty Images\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-credit__wlx1W\" data-testid=\"caption-credit\">(Image: Michael Steele, Getty Images)<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<p><\/button><\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Sebastian Coe&#8217;s recent remarks about <a aria-label=\"Keely Hodgkinson&#039;sLink opens in a new tab.\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/all-about\/keely-hodgkinson\" rel=\"follow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_blank\">Keely Hodgkinson&#8217;s<\/a> authenticity aren&#8217;t the first time he&#8217;s lauded <a aria-label=\"the Olympic championLink opens in a new tab.\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/sport\/other-sports\/athletics\/breaking-keely-hodgkinson-800m-result-33400425\" rel=\"follow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_blank\">the Olympic champion<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\"><a aria-label=\"Hodgkinson shattered the indoor world record over 800mLink opens in a new tab.\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/sport\/other-sports\/athletics\/keely-hodgkinson-world-record-comment-36755182\" rel=\"follow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_blank\">Hodgkinson shattered the indoor world record over 800m<\/a> in February and now has the outdoor mark firmly in her crosshairs. And Olympiian and ex-Team GB star Coe is clearly a fan.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">The 69-year-old recounted a story about <a aria-label=\"encountering Hodgkinson during her birthday celebrationsLink opens in a new tab.\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/sport\/other-sports\/athletics\/keely-hodgkinson-seb-coe-olympics-37145336\" rel=\"follow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_blank\">encountering Hodgkinson during her birthday celebrations<\/a> as proof of <a aria-label=\"how down-to-earth and relatable the Manchester athlete remainsLink opens in a new tab.\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.walesonline.co.uk\/sport\/other-sport\/athletics\/keely-hodgkinson-behaviour-world-athletics-33999678\" rel=\"follow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_blank\">how down-to-earth and relatable the Manchester athlete remains<\/a> even after some notable successes. That wasn&#8217;t the only example of the Sports Personality of the year demonstrating endearing qualities.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">During an appearance on <a aria-label=\"The Sports AgentsLink opens in a new tab.\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/episode\/1Kb41AOkuabqq7JgJ6zbjw\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_blank\">The Sports Agents<\/a> podcast, Coe was quizzed by <a aria-label=\"Gabby LoganLink opens in a new tab.\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/all-about\/gabby-logan\" rel=\"follow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_blank\">Gabby Logan<\/a> about the <a aria-label=\"\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/news\/world-news\/\" rel=\"follow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"\">world<\/a> indoor champion&#8217;s <a aria-label=\"recent remarks concerning West Ham UnitedLink opens in a new tab.\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/sport\/football\/news\/keely-hodgkinson-world-athletics-championships-36929751\" rel=\"follow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_blank\">recent remarks concerning West Ham United<\/a>, tenants of the Olympic Stadium. &#8220;The GB team will bring back more medals to that stadium than West Ham have seen in their entire history,&#8221; Hodgkinson joked on social media.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\"><strong class=\"Strong_strong__e2x35\"><strong class=\"Strong_strong__e2x35\">JOIN US ON FACEBOOK!<\/strong><a aria-label=\"\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MirrorSport#\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"\"><strong class=\"Strong_strong__e2x35\"> <\/strong><strong class=\"Strong_strong__e2x35\"><u>All the best sports news and much more on our dedicated Facebook page<\/u><\/strong><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span data-testid=\"readmore\" class=\"ReadMore_readmore-prefix__xS44r __className_9d2dcd\">READ MORE<!-- -->: <span class=\"ReadMore_readmore-link__eF9pN\"><a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" data-tmdatatrack=\"read-more\" data-tmdatatrack-articleid=\"37176952\" data-tmdatatrack-source=\"editorial\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/sport\/other-sports\/athletics\/keely-hodgkinson-seb-coe-athletics-37176952\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Keely Hodgkinson has shown who she is after behaviour on her birthday brought up<\/a><\/span><\/span><span data-testid=\"readmore\" class=\"ReadMore_readmore-prefix__xS44r __className_9d2dcd\">READ MORE<!-- -->: <span class=\"ReadMore_readmore-link__eF9pN\"><a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" data-tmdatatrack=\"read-more\" data-tmdatatrack-articleid=\"37133313\" data-tmdatatrack-source=\"editorial\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/sport\/other-sports\/athletics\/keely-hodgkinson-emma-raducanu-agency-37133313\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Keely Hodgkinson takes leaf out of Emma Raducanu&#8217;s book with huge new deal agreed<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">&#8220;I love Keely because you will only get authenticity,&#8221; Coe replied. &#8220;There&#8217;s none of this &#8216;Oh, I&#8217;ll see how I feel tomorrow&#8217; or &#8216;One match at a time&#8217; &#8211; she absolutely tells it as it is. I think she&#8217;s joyous company apart from anything.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">&#8220;This year is probably the biggest year in British athletics&#8230; we&#8217;ve got a <a aria-label=\"\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/all-about\/commonwealth-games\" rel=\"follow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"\">Commonwealth Games<\/a>, we&#8217;ve got a European Championships, we&#8217;ve got a great Diamond League. It&#8217;s probably the best year for athletics in the UK since 2017.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">&#8220;Keely&#8217;s not wrong. I&#8217;m pleased she knows her worth&#8230; she&#8217;s off-the-graph good but if you look statistically she&#8217;s still got a couple of years before she hits her peak.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div data-testid=\"image-group\"><button type=\"button\" class=\"SlideViewerButton_slide-viewer-button__BDJoG\" aria-label=\"Open image viewer\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-controls=\"image-lightbox\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-embed__0T8WX false\" data-testid=\"imageembed-37196548\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-articleid=\"37196548\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"image\">\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-container__2AIQm\">\n<figure class=\"Figure_figure__Uce4f\" style=\"--figure-aspect-ratio:1.5\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"TORUN, POLAND - MARCH 19: Keely Hodgkinson in conversation with World Athletics President Sebastian Coe during a athletes press conference  ahead of the World Athletics Indoor Championships Kujawy Pomorze 2026 at Kujawsko-Pomorska Arena on March 19, 2026 in Torun, Poland. (Photo by Michael Steele\/Getty Images)\" loading=\"lazy\" sizes=\"(max-width: 458px) 458px, (max-width: 615px) 615px, 1200px\" src=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article37196548.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200e\/0_World-Athletics-Indoor-Championships-Kujawy-Pomorze-2026-Previews.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article37196548.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s458b\/0_World-Athletics-Indoor-Championships-Kujawy-Pomorze-2026-Previews.jpg 458w, https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article37196548.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s615b\/0_World-Athletics-Indoor-Championships-Kujawy-Pomorze-2026-Previews.jpg 615w, https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article37196548.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200e\/0_World-Athletics-Indoor-Championships-Kujawy-Pomorze-2026-Previews.jpg 1200w\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"ImageCaption_caption__j7HRu\" data-testid=\"image-caption\">\n<p aria-label=\"Sebastian Coe is a big fan of Hodgkinson\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-title__ccyQU\" data-testid=\"caption-title\">Sebastian Coe is a big fan of Hodgkinson<cite aria-label=\"Image: Michael Steele, Getty Images\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-credit__wlx1W\" data-testid=\"caption-credit\">(Image: Michael Steele, Getty Images)<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<p><\/button><\/div>\n<div class=\"AffiliateContentsEmbed_affiliate-contents-container__oTiet\" data-testid=\"affiliate-contents-embed\">\n<div data-testid=\"affiliate-content\" class=\"AffiliateContent_affiliate-content-container__10EX_ affiliate-content\">\n<p>Get Virgin&#8217;s \u00a3300 travel voucher and Sky Sports deal<\/p>\n<div class=\"AffiliateDisclaimer_affiliate-disclaimer__dG5ST\">\n<div class=\"AffiliateDisclaimer_affiliate-text__8nmDa\">This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/affiliates\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Learn more<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"AffiliateContent_section-container__JMDzM AffiliateContent_content-details__U6C2M AffiliateContent_has-content-img___LY95\">\n<div class=\"AffiliateContent_section-content__QCkL9\">\n<div class=\"AffiliateContent_content-image__FxPNL\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Virgin Media\" fetchpriority=\"auto\" src=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article37107403.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s510b\/0_virginJPG.jpg\"\/><\/div>\n<div class=\"AffiliateContent_content-price-details__OpMC_\">\n<p>\u00a378.99 p\/m<\/p>\n<p>Virgin Media<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"AffiliateContent_content-buy-btn__xWiVO buy-btn\" aria-label=\"Buy button\" href=\"https:\/\/www.awin1.com\/cread.php?awinmid=6399&amp;awinaffid=213635&amp;campaign=&amp;clickref=Regionals-football.london&amp;ued=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.virginmedia.com%2Ftv&amp;platform=pl\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\">Get the deal here<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"AffiliateContent_section-container__JMDzM\">\n<div id=\"product-description\" class=\"AffiliateContent_section-content__QCkL9\">\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">New customers signing up to Virgin Media&#8217;s Max Volt bundle by May 13 will receive \u00a3300 vouchers to spend at Trip.com.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">You don&#8217;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.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">She finished more than a second ahead of the field in Torun, and the aim during the outdoor season will be Jarmila Kratochvilova&#8217;s record, which has stood for over 40 years. Away from the track, however, the <a aria-label=\"\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/all-about\/team-gb\" rel=\"follow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"\">Team GB<\/a> ace still seems remarkably grounded.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">During an earlier appearance on the UNTAPPED podcast, Coe spoke enthusiastically about the 24 year old. &#8220;What you see with Keely is what you get,&#8221; he said. &#8220;She is very funny, she&#8217;s totally driven, but she puts things in perspective.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">&#8220;I was up in <a aria-label=\"\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/all-about\/manchester\" rel=\"follow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"\">Manchester<\/a> not that long ago and I bumped into her one night going into a restaurant. I was on my way out. I&#8217;d sort of done the early shift and she turned up and it was her birthday. It was a couple of weeks&#8230; I mean she&#8217;d only just broken the indoor world record.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">&#8220;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&#8217;s just completely normal, but she is incredibly well talented. She&#8217;s got a great coaching team around her.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/sport\/other-sports\/athletics\/keely-hodgkinson-birthday-behaviour-coe-37196549\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>World indoor record holder Keely Hodgkinson has caught the eye on the track and off it in 2026 Keely Hodgkinson has continued making strides since winning gold at the Paris Olympics(Image: Michael Steele, Getty Images) Sebastian Coe&#8217;s recent remarks about Keely Hodgkinson&#8217;s authenticity aren&#8217;t the first time he&#8217;s lauded the Olympic champion for that specific [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":244818,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6802],"tags":[58149,54382,33513,51136],"class_list":{"0":"post-244817","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-athetics","8":"tag-bbc-sports-personality-of-the-year","9":"tag-keely-hodgkinson","10":"tag-sebastian-coe","11":"tag-team-gb"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/244817","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=244817"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/244817\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/244818"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=244817"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=244817"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=244817"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}