With more than forty years to go, Keely Hodgkinson hopes to shatter the 800-meter world record for women. The 22-year-old is aiming to break one of the oldest track world records after winning gold in the distance at the Olympic Games in Paris. In July 1983, at Munich’s Olympic Stadium, Czech athlete Jarmila Kratochvilova set a record for the 800 meters with a time of one minute and 53.28 seconds. Although Hodgkinson’s winning time in Paris was 1:56.72, her confidence has increased significantly since her July 1:54.61 time in London.
During a special ‘Team GB’s Homecoming’ ceremony held at Manchester’s AO Arena, Hodgkinson stated: “It’s something I’ve definitely thought about since I raced in London.” “I believe that record has lasted a very long time. I would love to hit [one minute and 53 seconds] because it has been a long time since someone has done so. I believe I am capable. I think I can pull that off now.”
Bronze medallist in the 1500 meters at the Olympics, Georgia Bell, stated that she is still unsure if she wants to pursue athletics full-time. The 30-year-old had lost interest in running and had only picked it again up three years prior.
Bell is still employed by a London-based provider of cyber security software. “I’ve been on a break over the summer to focus on the Olympics and the plan is to go back in September,” she stated. “Work has been incredibly helpful, and we’ll see what transpires. It will be quite challenging, in my opinion, to balance both. I will thus give it some thought.” When Toby Roberts unexpectedly won gold in the boulder and lead event in Paris, he became the first British athlete to win an Olympic medal in sports climbing.
Things have “been a bit of a blur” since then, according to the 19-year-old, and it still “feels surreal to have this medal round my neck right now”. He continued: “I’ve always seen myself as a climber who loves competing and to be among all these great athletes in this environment feels like a dream really.” The National Lottery’s Team GB Homecoming will air on BBC One on Sunday, August 18, at 20:30 BST. A day later, it will be accessible for catch-up on BBC iPlayer.