Keely Hodgkinson: How Lifelong Man United Fan Become One of the World’s Most Lethal Runners

Atherton-born Olympian Keely Hodgkinson officially brought a world record home to Manchester, cementing her status as one of the city's premier athletes.

The middle-distance runner, who has deep ties to the local athletics community, shattered the 800m indoor world record last month, marking a significant milestone in her career. This achievement is a culmination of a journey that began on tracks across Greater Manchester.

Hodgkinson's athletic career started at Leigh Harriers when she was just nine years old, training at Leigh Sports Village. By the age of 12, she had already secured three Greater Manchester cross country titles and was a dominant force at her track meets.

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Her potential was recognised early on. In 2018, she was named Sports Achiever of the Year at the Believe Sports Awards in Wigan. In recent years, she has been a familiar face at training facilities like Robin Park in Wigan and the Manchester Regional Arena.

The world record is a testament to her resilience, coming after a challenging previous season marred by hamstring injuries that forced her to withdraw from several races. Despite these setbacks, Hodgkinson made a triumphant return to competition, steadily rebuilding her form throughout the 2025 season.

Just five days before her record-breaking performance, she had already signalled her intent by setting a new British record at the UK Indoor Championships in Birmingham.

Beyond the track, Hodgkinson is a proud representative of Manchester in the sporting world. A lifelong Manchester United supporter, she grew up attending matches at Old Trafford with her mother. Her dream of being celebrated by the club came true following her gold medal win at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

Hodgkinson also has two World Championships silver medals in the 800m as well as a bronze and had claimed Olympics silver in Tokyo four years before striking gold in Paris.

After overcoming injury, Hodgkinson has entered a new phase of her career, dubbed "Keely 2.0" by her team. Now stronger, sharper, and a world record holder, she has firmly established herself at the pinnacle of her sport.