Sebastian Coe has tipped Keely Hodgkinson to become one of the greatest athletes of all time and described teenage Australian sprinter Gout Gout as 'the real deal' on the eve of the world championships in Tokyo. The double Olympic 1500m gold medallist and former world record holder in the 800m was emphatic in his praise for Hodgkinson, who claimed Olympic gold in Paris last year.
'She absolutely could end up at the top of the heap internationally,' Coe said. 'I’ve spoken to her enough times to know that mentally she’s mahogany hard. She is absolutely committed to wanting to end her career top of the heap and there’s no reason why she shouldn’t.' He also commended her coaches, Trevor Painter and Jenny Meadows, for guiding her back from hamstring and back issues. The 23-year-old ran 1:54 in Silesia in August after 376 days out, followed by a 1:55 in Lausanne four days later.
Coe noted the cleverness of her back-to-back races, saying they tested her endurance ahead of the world championships. 'Did she have enough in the tank to go back-to-back? The answer was clearly a resounding yes.' However, he cautioned against rushing back, though he felt Hodgkinson has navigated it well.
Turning to Gout Gout, the 17-year-old who has run a wind-assisted 9.98sec for 100m and 19.84 for 200m, Coe was excited but measured. 'At 17 I was probably just about qualifying for the inter-counties,' he laughed. 'He’s clearly got a lot of talent. He’s got a good manager that isn’t forcing him too quickly. Clearly he is the real deal.' Coe added that the greatest challenge is guiding young athletes through the next few years without burnout.
Coe also assured that World Athletics is prepared for any typhoon during the championships, following disruptions caused by tropical storm Tapah in Hong Kong. 'We do have the full meteorological prediction and predictive teams out there,' he said.
