Keely Hodgkinson plans holiday before targeting 41-year-old 800m world record | Paris Olympic Games 2024

Keely Hodgkinson will rejoice her Olympic 800m gold medal with a vacation earlier than concentrating on a time that may take her near the 41-year-old world report. That’s the message from Hodgkinson’s coaches, Trevor Painter and Jenny Meadows, the husband and spouse workforce who meticulously ready the 22-year-old for glory in Paris.

They settle for Jarmila Kratochvilova’s time of 1min 53.28sec is out of attain for now however consider Hodgkinson has the expertise and want to interrupt it in the future. “She’s going to Marbella on a household vacation,” mentioned Painter. “She says she’s going there to change off. Then we’ll do the Diamond League last and have a crack there with a pacemaker.

“She is aware of she will be able to run 1.53. The world report is low 1.53, so it’d take a number of years earlier than we get to that.”

Painter, whose 800m athletes do a number of 200m and 400m repetitions in coaching, mentioned: “We run numbers. We’re very knowledge pushed. Should you do that in coaching, it correlates to this.

“Keely can ship it. Some folks can’t and it interprets into nerves and strain. The London Diamond League [on 20 July] was the identical. She was saying I can undoubtedly run 1.54.”

The extremely regarded and in style coaches run the M11 Monitor Membership in Manchester, named after the postcode of Sportcity, with a rising workforce of athletes together with Group GB’s 1500m runner Georgia Bell. It doesn’t damage that Meadows was an excellent 800m athlete, who would have certainly received greater than three world championship medals – one silver and two bronzes – had she not competed in an period of Russian doping.

Painter mentioned they met Hodgkinson for lunch earlier than the race to speak techniques. “The British Olympic Affiliation has bought a lodge quarter-hour from the village so she’s been getting a raise throughout there to eat as a result of it’s an excellent bit higher than the village. She’s not eaten a meal within the village.”

Meadows added: “She was actually assured. I spoke to her about a number of situations that would occur. I mentioned folks may begin quick and gradual the tempo. She was simply having none of it. ‘No, that’s not going to occur.’ It was being destructive from me however I used to be simply making her give it some thought.”

Throughout the race, the coaches had very completely different feelings. “I’m all the time fairly calm, calmer than Jen,” mentioned Painter. “I simply have perception.”

Meadows mentioned: “I used to be not calm. I wasn’t calm as a result of it was gradual. I didn’t need to face the wrath of Keely if she solely, I say solely, bought the silver once more. I believed she was making it tougher than it wanted to be.”

Painter talked about that Hodgkinson is commonly late for coaching. “We have now a saying that quarter-hour is OK. Generally it’s 20 to 25 minutes and she or he simply strolls in smiling. I’m not too bothered about it as a result of Keely is a free spirit.

“If we include her, put her in a field and inform her you’ve bought to adapt to this and wish you to be like that, she’ll not be the identical individual. That sort of free-spirited nature makes her who she is.”

Painter additionally praised Hodgkinson’s dad and mom, Dean and Rachel, who watched the race with 100 household and mates. “They’ve all bought the identical T-shirt,” he mentioned. “Dean had them made and designed them.

“Her dad and mom are good laborious staff. Her dad has all the time advised her she will be able to do something. She has nice values and she or he deserves every little thing she will get as a result of it’s been a troublesome 12 months with accidents.”