Olympic champion Keely Hodgkinson admits she finds running ‘horrible’ and reveals why she will never date another athlete again after winning gold in the 800m
She became the golden girl of the Paris Olympics when she claimed an incredible victory in the women’s 800 meters.
Yet Keely Hodgkinson has admitted that ‘running in itself is terrible’, but she took up the sport because she ‘likes to win and is competitive’.
The gold medalist, 22, revealed she never “fell in love” with the sport, but instead knew she was “talented” and had the “mental ability to push herself” to be the best.
Speak with The Sunday times Style magazineKeely said: βI don’t think I ever fell in love with it, I just knew I was good at it. I love feeling healthy and good, but working out is horrible, it’s painful, I don’t like that.
βI just know I have the mental ability to get through that and push myself really hard because I know I have a talent there.
Keely Hodgkinson has admitted that ‘running itself is terrible’, but she took up the sport because she ‘loves winning and being competitive’
The gold medalist revealed she never ‘fell in love’ with the sport, but instead knew she was ‘talented’ and had the ‘mental ability to push herself’ to be the best
βAnd I enjoy winning and being competitive, I like thinking I’m going to win. But the running itself is terrible, let’s be honest. You are often out of breath. I’m tired all the time.’
The Atherton runner won the women’s 800m final to claim the first Olympic gold of her career. In doing so, she broke the British record set by Dame Kelly Holmes twenty years ago.
She crossed the finish line with a time of 1:56.72, which was almost half a second faster than silver medalist Ethiopian Tsige Duguma’s 1:57.15.
By winning gold, she made history by becoming the first British competitor to win athletics gold at this year’s sporting event.
Elsewhere during the interview, Keely revealed the reason why she will never date another runner again after splitting from her British runner boyfriend, who was living abroad, in January after three years together.
She admitted that the long distance between the couple ultimately destroyed their relationship as she would always “put her first” and they would “go weeks or months and not see each other.”
When discussing whether she would date another athlete again, she said, βIt has its pros and cons, with the downside being that you don’t know when you’ll see each other. If you have an argument, you settle it via FaceTime. You can’t go see them or get on a train because they might be on the other side of the world. But you understand the involvement.’
Keely added that she is now happily single and “not really interested” in dating because she is “too busy.”
Keely became the golden girl of the Paris Olympics when she claimed an incredible victory in the women’s 800 meters
She said: ‘I love feeling healthy and good, but working out is horrible, it’s painful, I don’t like that. I just know I have the mental ability to get through that and push myself really hard because I know I have a talent there.β
She added: ‘And I enjoy winning and being competitive, I like thinking I’m going to win. But the running itself is horrible, let’s be honest. You are often out of breath. I’m tired all the time
In August, Keely announced her season is over after suffering a knee injury during training.
The British star was due to race the 400 meters in Berlin that week – her first race since winning Olympic gold in the 800 meters in Paris.
Keely would then take part in the Diamond League meetings in Zurich and Brussels in early September.
However, she will not be racing again this year after suffering a minor setback on her return to the track following her short break following the Olympics.
Mail Sport understands that Hodgkinson has suffered a tear on the outside of her knee, a smaller version of the injury that has prevented her from playing in the indoor season this winter.
βNo more races for me,β Keely wrote on Instagram. ‘Unfortunately I suffered a small injury, but we achieved everything I had hoped this year.
‘Thank you for all the love and support. See you next year at the track.’
Her coach Jenny Meadows added: ‘Disappointed not to have completed things further in style as there is still energy and motivation to do so, but it hasn’t been a bad season.’
Elsewhere during the interview, Keely revealed the reason why she will never date another runner again after splitting from her British runner boyfriend, who was living abroad, in January after three years together.
Keely was unbeaten in the 800 meters this year and retained her European title in Rome in June before winning her first global gold medal at the Paris Olympics.
She also lowered her British record to 1 minute 54.61 seconds, moving her up to sixth on the all-time list.
Keely’s next big meet could be the European Indoor Championships in Apeldoorn, Netherlands in March, followed by the World Indoors in Nanjing, China later that month.