Georgia Hunter Bell has highlighted the down-to-earth nature of Olympic champion Keely Hodgkinson, describing her as playful and fearless. The pair are set to represent Team GB at the upcoming European Championships in Birmingham.
Team-Mate's Tribute
In an interview with The Times, Hunter Bell, who pipped Hodgkinson to silver in the 800m at the 2025 World Championships, spoke warmly of her colleague. "She's very playful, always joking, having fun, and I think that brings out that playful side in me more so than when I meet up with my 30-year-old friends and we're talking about babies and buying houses," the 32-year-old said.
Hunter Bell added that Hodgkinson's confidence has rubbed off on her: "I've learnt a lot from Keely. One thing is she feels she can do anything, it doesn't matter what it is, and that's rubbed off on me. I think when you get a bit older you can get set in your ways and think, 'I've never done that before.'"
Encouraging Adventure
Hunter Bell also shared an example of Hodgkinson pushing her to try new things, like cycling without hands. "She said we have to learn to cycle with no hands," Hunter Bell recalled. "I said, 'Oh my God, no, we can't do that, what if we fall?' She just said, 'We won't.' And then we're cycling along in South Africa with no hands. I wouldn't have done it if I wasn't with her."
Coe's Praise
Sebastian Coe, president of World Athletics, previously praised Hodgkinson's authenticity on the Untapped podcast. "What I love about Keely is she is probably the most, forget athletics, she's probably the most authentic person I currently know," Coe said. "What you see with Keely is what you get. She is very funny, she's totally driven, but she puts things in perspective."
Coe recounted meeting Hodgkinson on her birthday shortly after she broke the indoor world record. "She was only literally a few days away from destroying the field and winning her world indoor title and she was just out celebrating her birthday. She's just completely normal, but she is incredibly well talented. She's got a great coaching team around her." He added, "I'm probably going to lose whatever fan base I've got left in the south of England, but she's absolutely rooted to the north of England and that for me counts for a lot in life."
