Paula Radcliffe believes Keely Hodgkinson’s potential is “stratospheric” as the Olympic champion targets a “double whammy” of success in 2025.
Hodgkinson won 800 meters gold in Paris last summer and now aims to do the same indoor and outdoor at this year’s world championships in Nanjing and Tokyo respectively.
The 22-year-old is also aiming for the outdoor world record of one minute 53.28 seconds set by Czech athlete Jarmila Kratochvilova in 1983, as well as Jolanda Ceplak’s indoor world record of 1:55.82 in of an event called “Keely Klassic” in Birmingham. in February.
“She had a meteoric rise when she won that Olympic silver medal in Tokyo and then went on to win multiple silver medals, which would have been a disappointment to a lot of people,” Radcliffe, who launched a new podcast – Paula’s Marathon Run Club – to provide advice to those preparing. for the London Marathon in April, told the PA news agency.
“But she built on that, handled all that pressure and really showed last year that she can get close to that world record, which has been untouchable for so long.
“I think it’s a double whammy, if you will, to get that world outdoor title to go along with the Olympic title and to see what she can do time-wise as well.
“I think the two go together. She knows what she’s doing with Trev [coach Trevor Painter] but I’m sure they’ll focus on the championships first, because if she’s in shape to win there, she needs to be in shape to break that record.
“She is so strong mentally and physically that we forget how young she is, that she is still growing and that there is huge potential ahead. It’s really very exciting.
“And I think the great thing about Keely is that she’s completely normal, so to speak. She’s stratospheric in terms of achievement, potential and talent, but she’s also a 22-year-old and she really appeals to that audience.
“If you ask my daughter to name two athletes, she will say Keely first, then Kat. [Katarina Johnson-Thompson].
“Keely really shows that you can be cool, you can have fun with your friends, but you can focus and also be a world champion and have it all in that regard.”
Radcliffe’s 17-year-old daughter Isla will follow in her mother’s footsteps when she runs the London Marathon in April to raise money for Children with Cancer UK, who supported her family after she was diagnosed with a form rare case of ovarian cancer at the age of 13.
Isla, who has received treatment and is now cancer free, will run her first marathon in an event that her mother won three times and is therefore perhaps one of the few beginners who does not need to listen to the podcast of 16 weeks that Radcliffe hosts with Chris Thompson, former Olympic marathoner.
Radcliffe, who is running his first marathons in a decade in Tokyo and Boston in March and April, said: “There will be some tips and advice from us and other experts, but rather than just saying ‘It’s what you should do.” , it’s about being a community and a place where people can come and ask questions.
“I’m trying to deal with an arthritic foot, juggling work and everything I do, so I really have a feel for how the average person prepares for a marathon, rather than being a d The spoiled elite whose whole day revolves around him.
“I can now really relate to and admire all the people who prepare for the London Marathon and others every year while trying to juggle a full-time job and a family on the side.”
:: Paula’s Marathon Run Club Podcast airs every Monday, wherever you get your podcasts.