After all that silver and all that failure, there came the golden smile of a new Olympic champion on Monday night. Over 800 metres, Keely Hodgkinson became the tallest, brightest and most magnificent tower in Paris.
First she controlled the field and then she tortured it, leaving behind seven women and as many labels before embracing her newfound status as queen of British sport with open arms.
And how magnificent was this journey of liberation that lasted one minute and 56 seconds.
It was neither a world record nor a personal best. In fact, it was only a fraction better than her mark in the semi-final.
And yet, it was enough and that’s all. Because enough meant finishing half a second ahead of Ethiopian Tsige Duguma, another 0.3 seconds ahead of world champion Mary Moraa, and what else was needed?
After all that silver and all those failed attempts, came the golden smile of a new Olympic champion on Monday night, writes RIATH AL-SAMARRAI
At 800 metres long, Keely Hodgkinson became the tallest, brightest and most magnificent tower in Paris.
First he controlled the camp and then he tortured him, leaving seven women behind.
She briefly moved her left hand to cover her face, her eyes filling with tears, before grabbing a Union flag and setting off on a victory lap that, for a 22-year-old, has felt a long time coming.
We should do a quick summary here, because their progress has been both extraordinary and accompanied by growing frustration.
She was second at the 2021 Olympics, second at the 2022 World Championships, and second at the same championships in 2023.
Now, a word about silver medals. Silver is beautiful and shines brightly, but too much silver weighs heavily on the back. Silver can lose its luster, it can blind, haunt and drive an athlete mad.
And there have been times when Hodgkinson has made it abundantly clear how angry she is about all this. Hiding it behind platitudes? Not her style.
So she came here talking about a “mission” and on a hot, humid night in France, it came true.
“It was absolutely incredible,” she continued. “I’ve worked so hard to achieve this over the last year. And I think you can see how much it meant to me when I crossed the line. I can’t believe I’ve finally achieved it.”
“I’m Olympic champion for the next four years and no one can take that away from me. I can’t believe it. I’m so happy to be able to bring it home.”
And how magnificent was this journey of liberation that lasted one minute and 56 seconds.
With it, he briefly moved his left hand to cover his face, his eyes filling with tears, before grabbing a Union flag.
So she came here talking about a ‘mission’ and on a hot, humid night in France, it was fulfilled.
She did so, becoming the first female Team GB track and field athlete to win gold since Jesicca Ennis-Hill.
It was seeing that star on Super Saturday that set this runaway train in motion, so one can only wonder which dreamers Hodgkinson will inspire.
From there we might also wonder how much further he can climb when his coaches and conventional wisdom suggest he is still five years away from reaching his full potential.
Nowadays we can already talk about greatness. And the truth is that at the Olympic Games the opportunities for greatness are everywhere.
They shout from every corner of every room. They offer an invitation, with the only condition that you are man or woman enough to be prepared with your best effort at the moment of greatest importance and greatest stress.
For some, these three lines form a ladder; for others, they are the Bermuda Triangle.
Hodgkinson will have seen Molly Caudery in the pole vault earlier in the day. Greatness was calling and as the world’s best this year, she had earned her invitation. But she wasn’t ready: she was almost 40cm short of her personal best.
It was a choking hazard, because what other explanation would cover it? What less incendiary term comes so close to the heart of the matter?
She was fit and healthy, but when she reached the pole, the Olympics brought her ceiling crashing down because of the magnitude of what it meant. That happens to people, but it didn’t happen to Hodgkinson.
Naturally, we wonder if those years of silver medals build barriers, as the majors have done for Rory McIlroy in golf.
She would only be human if those thoughts stripped away a layer or two of her confidence and dragged her into one of those sporting forest fires in the mind, where tactical decisions, much simpler in other scenarios, can lead her to the centre of a terrible labyrinth.
Should she go out early and overtake Moraa, who beat her at both the Commonwealth Games in 2022 and the Worlds last year? Knowing that the Kenyan’s performance in 2024 would not put her within two seconds of her, it could be considered a reasonable approach. Or would that put defeat on the table?
How about staying with the comfort of the pack for 600 metres and taking a kick-off? But wasn’t that how Moraa clawed her way back when she won the Commonwealth Games in 2022?
Decisions, decisions, tick and tock, greatness was waiting and greatness was watching.
Should she start early and overtake Mary Moraa (right), who beat her at both the Commonwealth Games in 2022 and the World Cup last year?
Naturally, we wonder if those years of silver medals build barriers, as the majors have done for Rory McIlroy in golf.
The afterburner continued, class showed, she walked away, a vision of grandeur and a woman at peace with a shiny new label.
What a show Hodgkinson put on! He took this final by the scruff of his neck and never gave Jeopardy a chance.
She went straight to the front and stayed there for 600m, with her pursuers gasping for pace, and then, with Mo Farah’s kick, she hit them hard.
The afterburner continued, class showed, she walked away, a vision of grandeur and a woman at peace with a shiny new label.