Keely Hodgkinson's keys to 800m gold: A solid base of normality and fun
On the morning of Monday 5 August, Jenny Meadows and Trevor Painter were sat in a laundrette in Paris doing their weekly wash. So mundane, so normal.
By night's end, they were celebrating the Olympic gold won by their charge, Keely Hodgkinson in the women's 800m at Olympic Games Paris 2024. So thrilling, so not normal.
And that base of normality while eyeing greatness appears to be the key to success for the Brit, after finally claiming the gold medal she craved after winning two world silver medals and Olympic silver at Tokyo 2020.
The basis of normality tinged with uniqueness is also how the celebrations unfolded.
"I joined my family at a bar somewhere," Hodgkinson said in a press conference early the following morning having managed to get to bed in the early hours. "It was great. The atmosphere was absolutely [amazing]... I'm really, really happy. It was nice to celebrate with them."
And yet, the Hodgkinson is also an elite athlete who has just expended every sinew of energy and every molecule of mental capacity in achieving her quest of winning Olympic gold. Emotionally and physically spent, Hodgkinson was first to leave the party.
The first time she had time to think, to begin to process what she'd just done, was four o'clock in the morning.
"I finally had a moment to myself and I rewatched the race back. It was really good to see and just listen to the commentary, just have so many incredible people supporting me. Yeah, it was just surreal. I think it will take a while to sink in."
Race craft dissected by Keely Hodgkinson
So, ever the critic as per any athlete of her calibre, what did she think of the race?
"The race wasn't actually one of my finest, to be honest," smiled the 22-year-old. "I would have liked it to be a little bit harder, but other than that, we got the job done." The 'we' acknowledging the team effort of coaches, physios, friends and family, the stability behind the success that tests every aspect of human endurance.
"I stayed composed, I could feel Mary coming," said Hodgkinson of the 2023 world champion, Kenya's Mary Moraa, who finished with bronze behind Ethiopia's Tsige Duguma. "But yeah, ultimately, I knew I was going to be hard to beat because I do feel like I'm in the best shape that I've ever been in, so I just had to trust in that."
That mantra would no doubt have been instilled from her experienced coaches. Meadows is the 2009 world bronze medallist in the 800m, while Painter is a former 400m runner and rugby league winger.
But the duo also believes a relaxed atmosphere around their ever-growing influx of athletes is also crucial to success. Their three-year-old daughter Arabella is also very much part of the team too in helping Aunty Keely achieve success on the track.
Hidgkinson: Relaxation key on most stressful of stages
That relaxed vibe is particularly important for someone who was favourite heading into Paris. A hefty weight one would imagine, but Hodgkinson appeared to take it in her considerable stride, the first indication of the pressure revealed when her face crumpled with emotion on crossing the finish line.
"'[The pressure] is such a privilege," said Hodgkinson, who had achieved a world-leading time of 1:54.61 two weeks before the Olympic Games began. "I was just really happy to come out here and perform and, I guess, take what was rightfully mine."
The purple-hued colour palette of the Stade de France, reminiscent of the lavender fields of Provence, provided the stunning backdrop to Hodgkinson's effort as 80,000 spectators roared her on.
"I could actually hear them the whole way around, which was as soon as the gun went off," said Hodgkinson whose early experience of international competition coincided with the lack of crowds due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
"It was an absolute riot," she continued. "So that was just amazing to experience, and I had it in London a couple of weeks ago at the Diamond League, and that was incredible, so to have it in another country was.... it's just the tip of the iceberg."
Many an athlete bristles at being asked 'what's next for you?' in moments of triumph but Hodgkinson has a clear plan.
"I'd love to be a four time Olympian and see if we can bring home medals from every single one. I think that's a great challenge. You know, when you've achieved what I've achieved last night, I think then you've got to start looking at okay, what's next? How do we keep the motivation going? Obviously, I'm going to enjoy this moment 100% but you know, the world of athletics, it just keeps moving."
Also on the cards is to break the 41-year-old world record of 1:53.28 achieved by Jarmila Kratochvilova of the-then Czechoslovakia.
But for now, it's the normality and privilege of being able to spend quality time with her family on holiday, something she can't do in the vortex of training for the biggest moment of her life.
Not so normal? Dressing up her evening outfit with a bit of Olympic bling.