Keely Hodgkinson poses for a portrait in her dressing room following make-up ahead of appearing on the Jonathan Ross chat show
Keely Hodgkinson poses for a portrait in her dressing room following make-up ahead of appearing on the Jonathan Ross chat show(Image:
Keely Hodgkinson is finally set to make her much-anticipated return to the track – more than a year after storming to Olympic gold in Paris.
The 800m sensation has been forced to bide her time following injury setbacks, but will step back into the spotlight at the Diamond League meeting in Silesia, Poland, this Saturday. It marks her first race since that golden night in Paris last summer, ending a frustrating spell of false starts.
She was unable to compete at the Keely Klassic – the February event named in her honour – and the recent Diamond League in London came just too soon as she recovered from hamstring problems.
Now, the 23-year-old is finally ready to line up again, starting with a non-Diamond League 800m in Silesia before testing herself just four days later in Lausanne.
“It’s been a long time – over a year – since Paris,” Hodgkinson said ahead of this weekend. “And it wasn’t my plan to get back on the start line so late, but I’m super happy to be back racing.”
The Silesia race will take place just before the official two-hour Diamond League broadcast window, but organisers have confirmed the coverage will begin by showing Hodgkinson’s comeback run, ensuring fans don’t miss her long-awaited return.
While the field does not feature her biggest rivals such as Mary Moraa, Tsige Duguma or Athing Mu, it remains a strong test. Botswana’s Oratile Nowe leads the season’s best times with 1:57.49, while Australia’s Abbey Caldwell and Catriona Bisset, USA’s Raevyn Rogers, and Slovakia’s Gabriela Gajanová – runner-up to Hodgkinson at last year’s European Championships – are also in the line-up.
“I’ve missed it. I’ve missed it a lot,” she added. “This is what I train to do. I can’t wait to get out there, and I’m going to give it my best and will see what happens.”
Here, we take a look at Hodgkinson’s life to date and how it has changed since her stunning win in the French capital for Team GB last summer.
Fresh from her Olympic gold medal triumph in Paris, Hodgkinson’s world has transformed over the last 12 months.
Before the Games, her net worth was estimated at around £250,000, with a minimum of £39,000 pocketed from winning the gold medal, a respectable figure but modest compared to some of her Team GB team-mates. That figure now looks set to skyrocket, with luxury fashion houses and global brands queuing up to work with her.
She’s already landed high-profile partnerships with Nike, Swiss watchmaker Omega, Vitality insurance, make-up giant Rimmel London and skincare specialists Avène. But her agent, Dale King-Clutterbuck, says that’s just the beginning.
“We are already talking to some of the biggest brands in fashion who have shown an interest in Keely,” he told MailOnline ahead of the Games. “But the colour of the medal really will determine that.”
Keely Hodgkinson attends the Richard Quinn show during London Fashion Week
Keely Hodgkinson attends the Richard Quinn show during London Fashion Week(Image: 2025 Mike Marsland)
Now that medal is gold, PR experts believe “brands will form a line the length of the country” to sign her up. The opportunities, King-Clutterbuck says, could soon extend to the most prestigious names in style.
“We need to keep making her more credible outside of sport,” he explained. “Then you’re going to be able to look at those big French or Italian fashion houses that are going to prove Keely is really cool.
“She’s straight-talking and really funny. She’s a generational talent — the best in the world, sixth fastest ever — and she’s easier to work with than talent that are nowhere near her level.”
Indeed, winning the BBC Sports Personality of the Year gong in 2024 has only aided in boosting her worth. It is estimated that she could rake in £4m between the Paris Olympics and the LA Games in 2028.
Dr Rob Wilson, speaking last summer after Hodgkinson’s medal win, told investment platform Saxo: “Keely is already becoming one of the most recognisable faces for UK athletics.
“Now she has managed to grab the gold, she can expect a stellar relationship with brands, marketing agencies, and UK Athletics, becoming a poster athlete for endorsements and associated commercial activities.
“A Sports Personality of the Year win would only serve to amplify this reputation further. She will be looking at earnings surpassing £1m per year over the next Olympic cycle.”
Keely Hodgkinson(Image: Instagram/Keely Hodgkinson)
Hodgkinson’s path to the top has not been without serious challenges.
As a teenager, she faced a terrifying health ordeal when doctors discovered a tumour that left her partially deaf in one ear.
“It crushed through my hearing bones and was just touching my spine,” she told Sky Sports in 2024.
“The decision was whether to take it out or leave it. If it kept growing, it could hit the spine and cause facial palsy — a pretty scary prospect for a 13-year-old.”
Surgeons attempted to save the damaged bones, but the injury meant she struggled with hearing issues growing up.
The long operation kept her out of school for a month, and the effects were felt beyond her ear.
“I couldn’t walk at first because of my balance, which was strange,” she recalled. “Thankfully, it all went to plan. They removed it, and now I just have some missing hearing — which isn’t too bad.”
Keely Hodgkinson has had a spectacular year
Keely Hodgkinson has had a spectacular year
Split from her boyfriend
Hodgkinson also experienced personal upheaval away from the track, confirming in October 2024 that she had ended a three-year relationship earlier that year.
Her former partner, also a runner, lived abroad, making it increasingly difficult for them to see each other.
“Long-distance killed it,” she admitted. “He was living in Texas and then Italy, and with my schedule, we could go weeks without seeing each other. It was tough.”
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Now single, the Olympic champion says she is not actively seeking a new relationship.
“I’m not really interested in dating right now,” she revealed. “I’ve never been on the apps — I prefer meeting people in real life.”
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