Olympic champion Keely Hodgkinson’s life is changing on and off the track
Keely Hodgkinson has taken up cycling and increased her weight as she enters a “new era” of her career. British athletics’ gold girl is riding high after shattering the 800m indoor world record in Lievin last month.
The Olympic champion has now turned her attention to breaking the outdoor world record, which was set back in 1983. The 23-year-old’s journey since claiming gold at Paris 2024 hasn’t been without its challenges.
Her 2025 campaign was disrupted by injury after she suffered a hamstring tear in May. Following her return to competition later in the year, she had to settle for bronze at the World Championship in Tokyo.
In hindsight, it was a creditable performance, considering the injury issues, with her hamstring tear stemming from a lower back problem. In an attempt to prevent further fitness setbacks, Hodgkinson has incorporated cycling into her training regimen while evidently putting in significant work in the gym, resulting in her adding muscle mass.
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She told The Times: “I’ve gained a bit of muscle mass. I’m actually up to 60kg. In Paris, I was sitting at 54.”
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The transition to cycling hasn’t been entirely smooth, as she’s experienced several tumbles while learning to unclip. She admitted: “I probably fell off seven or eight times. But I’ve mastered it now.”
She continued: “I just wanted to change things up a bit; get outside. It started on a holiday in LA in the off-season, and then we introduced a bit of riding at our last training camp, in South Africa.
“I’ve now bought a bike and I’m on Zwift [an indoor cycling app] too. I’m moving soon and I plan to have a Zwift room in my new flat.” That new flat is in central Manchester, having previously lived in nearby Salford. She said: “I feel like I’m in a bit of a fresh era in my life.
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“I wasn’t ready for the house in Cheshire. That gives me too much of a marriage and kids kind of vibe. I’m only 23 and still want to live the city life. But I’m a lot happier and more confident.
“I learnt last year that internal happiness has to come before anything else, and I feel the most enthusiastic and happiest about training and racing since I was 19. And when I’m like that, you see the best of me.”
Hodgkinson believes breaking the outdoor 800m record would solidify her status as one of the greatest athletes of all time. She told the BBC: “I think the outdoor record would be cemented GOAT [greatest of all time].
“It’s stood for a long time and been a long time since anyone’s been able to get near it. I do think it’s possible. It’s a difficult record and a reason why it has stood for 40-odd years.”