HAVING PUBLICLY DECLARED herself to be “sick of silver” after 2nds in Tokyo and then the ’22 and ’23 Worlds, Keely Hodgkinson was never going to settle for anything less than 800 gold in Paris.
It showed in the determination etched across her face for the 1:56.72 it took her to cover 2 laps of the Stade de France, before the 22-year-old Briton erupted into smiles and tears of delight as she hugged a hundred-strong contingent of friends and family in the stands.
It was a controlled and confident performance from Hodgkinson, who had the role of marginal favorite after Athing Mu’s fall in the U.S. Olympic Trials and Kenya’s ’23 world champion Mary Moraa’s lack of racing during the summer.
Hodgkinson moved to the front just after the break and by 200m in she was controlling the pace from the front, going through the bell in 58.30 and staying in pole position through the next 200.
Despite being challenged by Moraa with a furlong to go, Hodgkinson held the inside line around the last bend, forcing her Kenyan rival to go wide. The Briton always looked to have another gear while Moraa looked to be at her limit.
Coming into the homestraight, Hodgkinson then sprinted away from the field to get the gold and end her 3-year quest to stand on top of the podium at a global championships.
“That was absolutely incredible. I’ve worked so hard for this over the last year and I think you could see how much it meant to me when I crossed the line,” said Hodgkinson.
“What better place to do it. It felt like a home crowd, even though we’re in Paris as there’s so many Brits in the stadium. I wanted to be near the front [on the first lap] and it was probably quicker than I wanted it to be at the bell but I think everyone was tired with back-to-back semis and final, but I had something saved for the last 100.”
Behind Hodgkinson, the tiring Moraa was caught by Ethiopia’s surprise package Tsige Duguma 30m from the line, the latter PRing with 1:57.15.
Moraa had enough in the tank to take bronze in 1:57.42, just holding off St. Vincent’s fast-finishing Shafiqua Moloney with the former Arkansas Razorback just missing out on getting her country’s first-ever Olympic medal in any sport. Moloney’s 4th-place 1:57.66 followed upon smashing her NR in both the heats and semis with runs of 1:58.23 and 1:57.59.
Stanford’s Juliette Whittaker — who got to Paris by running the entry standard when finishing 3rd at the Olympic Trials — ran a 1:57.76 PR in her semi to become the only U.S. runner in the final, progressing as a time qualifier.
Although the ’24 NCAA champion indoors and out couldn’t match that clocking in the final, battling hard to stay with the leaders when the pace hotted up with 250 to go, she acquitted herself well to finish 7th.
OT winner Nia Akins, 6th at the ’23 WC, also finished 3rd in her semi but her time of 1:58.20 wasn’t quick enough to advance to the final.
Allie Wilson couldn’t replicate her pre-Paris form and finished outside the qualifying positions in her heat and repechage with runs of 1:59:69 and 1:59.73.
WOMEN’S 800 RESULTS
FINAL (August 05)
(temperature 82F/28C; humidity 37%)
1. Keely Hodgkinson (GB) 1:56.72
(27.1, 31.3 [58.4], 30.0 [1:28.4], 28.3) (14.2, 28.3, 58.3) (58.4/58.3);
2. Tsige Duguma (Eth) 1:57.15 PR
(27.0, 31.5 [58.5], 30.0 [1:28.5], 28.6) (15.1, 28.6, 58.6) (58.5/58.6);
3. Mary Moraa (Ken) 1:57.42
(27.2, 31.2 [58.4], 30.0 [1:28.4], 29.0) (14.9, 29.0, 59.0) (58.4/59.0);
4. Shafiqua Maloney (StV) 1:57.66
(27.1, 31.6 [58.7], 29.9 [1:28.6], 29.0) (14.6, 29.0, 58.9) (58.7/58.9);
5. Renelle Lamote (Fra) 1:58.19
(27.4, 31.4 [58.8], 29.9 [1:28.7], 29.4) (14.8, 29.4, 59.3) (58.8/59.3);
6. Worknesh Mesele (Eth) 1:58.28
(27.8, 31.0 [58.8], 30.1 [1:28.9], 29.3) (14.6, 29.3, 59.4) (58.8/59.4);
7. Juliette Whittaker (US) 1:58.50
(27.2, 31.5 [58.7], 30.1 [1:28.8], 29.7) (14.9, 29.7, 59.8) (58.7/59.8);
8. Prudence Sekgodiso (SA) 1:58.79
(27.1, 31.5 [58.6], 29.9 [1:28.5], 30.2) (15.8, 30.2, 60.1) (58.6/60.1).
HEATS (August 02)
I–1. Jemma Reekie (GB) 2:00.00; 2. Gabriela Gajanová (Svk) 2:00.29; 3. Whittaker 2:00.45; 4. Valentina Rosamilia (Swi) 2:00.45; 5. Jazz Shukla (Can) 2:00.80; 6. Lena Kandissounon (Fra) 2:00.97; 7. Habitam Alemu (Eth) 2:02.19; 8. Amal Al-Roumi (Kuw) 2:11.35; 9. Layla Al-Masry (PLE) 2:12.21 NR.
II–1. Daily M. Cooper (Cub) 1:58.88; 2. Sekgodiso 1:59.84; 3. Rachel Pellaud (Swi) 2:00.07; 4. Halimah Nakaayi (Uga) 2:00.51; 5. Nelly Jepkosgei (Bhr) 2:00.63; 6. Flavia de Lima (Bra) 2:00.73; 7. Lorena Martin (Spa) 2:02.52; 8. Anna Wielgosz (Pol) 2:02.54.
III–1. Mesele 1:58.07 PR; 2. Lamote 1:58.59; 3. Phoebe Gill (GB) 1:58.83; 4. Eloisa Coiro (Ita) 1:59.19 PR; 5. Vivian Chebet (Ken) 1:59.90; 6. Rose M. Almanza (Cub) 2:00.36; 7. Anita Horvat (Slo) 2:00.91;… dq—Assia Raziki (Mor).
IV–1. Hodgkinson 1:59.31; 2. Nia Akins (US) 1:59.67; 3. Noélie Yarigo (Ben) 1:59.68; 4. Eveliina Määttänen (Fin) 2:00.02; 5. Majtie Kolberg (Ger) 2:00.55; 6. Oratile Nowe (Bot) 2:01.00; 7. Catriona Bisset (Aus) 2:01.60; 8. Adelle Tracey (Jam) 2:03.47; 9. Perina Lokure Nakang (ART) 2:08.20 PR.
V–1. Duguma 1:57.90; 2. Moraa 1:57.95; 3. Maloney 1:58.23 NR; 4. Anais Bourgoin (Fra) 1:58.47 PR; 5. Abbey Caldwell (Aus) 1:58.49; 6. Lorea Ibarzabal (Spa) 2:00.71; 7. Sanu Jallow (Gam) 2:03.91 NR; 8. Greza Bakraqi (KOS) 2:13.29.
VI–1. Natoya Goule-Toppin (Jam) 1:58.66; 2. Claudia Hollingsworth (Aus) 1:58.77; 3. Lilian Odira (Ken) 1:58.83 PR; 4. Gabija Galvydytė (Lit) 1:59.18 PR; 5. Audrey Werro (Swi) 1:59.38; 6. Allie Wilson (US) 1:59.69; 7. Elena Bellò (Ita) 1:59.98; 8. Tharushi Karunarathna (SrL) 2:07.76.
REPECHAGE (August 03)
I–1. Caldwell 2:00.07; 2. Coiro 2:00.31; 3. Werro 2:00.62; 4. Galvydytė 2:00.66; 5. de Lima 2:01.64; 6. Nakaayi 2:02.88; 7. Martin 2:03.04.
II–1. Bourgoin 1:59.52; 2. Rosamilia 1:59.65; 3. Wilson 1:59.73; 4. Horvat 2:00.56; 5. Tracey 2:03.67; 6. Jallow 2:04.44; 7. Wielgosz 2:05.77; 8. Al-Masry 2:16.72.
III–1. Almanza 2:01.54; 2. Shukla 2:02.00; 3. Bisset 2:02.35; 4. Bellò 2:02.91; 5. Nowe 2:03.29; 6. Kandissounon 2:03.40; 7. Nakang 2:11.33;… dq. Bakraqi.
IV–1. Kolberg 1:59.08; 2. Chebet 1:59.31; 3. Ibarzabal 1:59.81; 4. Määttänen 2:00.38; 5. Jepkosgei 2:01.12; 6. Alemu 2:02.73; 7. Karunarathna 2:06.66; 8. Al-Roumi 2:12.13.
SEMIS (August 04)
I–1. Moraa 1:57.86; 2. Mesele 1:58.06 PR; 3. Cooper 1:58.39 PR; 4. Gill 1:58.47; 5. Caldwell 1:58.52; 6. Goule-Toppin 1:59.14; 7. Rosamilia 1:59.27; 8. Yarigo 2:01.35.
II–1. Duguma 1:57.47 PR; 2. Maloney 1:57.59 NR; 3. Whittaker 1:57.76 PR; 4. Lamote 1:57.78; 5. Reekie 1:58.01 (fastest-ever non-qualifier); 6. Gajanová 1:58.22 NR; 7. Kolberg 1:58.52 PR; 8. Chebet 1:59.64.
III–1. Hodgkinson 1:56.86; 2. Sekgodiso 1:57.57; 3. Akins 1:58.20; 4. Odira 1:58.53 PR; 5. Almanza 1:58.73; 6. Bourgoin 1:59.62; 7. Hollingsworth 2:01.51; 8. Pellaud 2:03.36.