Hodgkinson Takes Olympic 800m Gold in 1:56.72

Keely Hodgkinson won the Olympic 800m gold medal in Paris, crossing the line in 1:56.72 and becoming the first British woman to claim the title since Kelly Holmes in 2004.

A controlled attack from gun to tape

The final unfolded before 80,000 spectators at the Stade de France on 5 August. Hodgkinson went straight to the front and held off advances from world champion Mary Moraa of Kenya and world indoor champion Tsige Duguma of Ethiopia on the back straight.

She passed the bell in 58.30 seconds. Heading into the home stretch, she still had Duguma and Moraa on her shoulder, but with 50 metres remaining she cut loose and opened a decisive gap.

The winning margin was 0.43 seconds. Duguma took silver in 1:57.15, earning Ethiopia’s first Olympic 800m medal, while Moraa finished third in 1:57.42.

A gold that completes the set

Hodgkinson had arrived in Paris as the clear favourite, having set a British record of 1:54.61 at the London Diamond League in July. She eased through the rounds with a heat win in 1:59.31 and a semi-final victory in 1:56.86.

The gold adds a first-place finish to a collection that already included Olympic silver from Tokyo, and World Championship silvers from Eugene and Budapest. She becomes the third British woman to win Olympic 800m gold, following Ann Packer and Kelly Holmes.

“I’ve worked so hard over the past year and you could see how much it meant to me as I crossed the line,” she told reporters afterwards. “I feel like I’ve really grown over the past couple of years and this year is the year I’ve really tried to make that step up.”

At 22, the wait for a global outdoor title is over.