Trevor Painter and Jenny Meadows, the coaching duo behind Keely Hodgkinson and Georgia Hunter Bell's gold medal triumphs at the World Indoor Championships in Torun, have shared the secrets behind their athletes' success, ranging from cycling to crystals and cutting-edge science. The husband-and-wife team believe the best is yet to come for the pair, who won three gold medals in 29 minutes alongside Molly Caudery.
Painter revealed that Hodgkinson felt so good during the championships that she considered breaking her own world indoor 800m record again in the final. 'Warming up she said: “I feel amazing. I won’t be surprised if I get a PB here,”' Painter said. 'I went: “OK, your PB is a world record.” Afterwards she had no lactic [acid]. And she was like: “I’m just going to do the 4x400m relay,” and an hour later she ran 50.10sec.' No specialist 400m runner ran quicker, leading Painter to believe greater peaks are around the corner, including a possible assault on the outdoor 800m world record set in 1983.
Painter attributed Hodgkinson's improved form to being fully healthy for the first time since the 2023 Budapest championships. 'Even at the Paris Olympics she had a bit of a niggle and missed some of the winter. But this year she’s not missed a session. So we’re seeing times she normally does in summer already,' he said. Support from Nike has provided a physiotherapist and a physiologist, helping manage Hodgkinson's hamstring issues. Additionally, Hodgkinson has taken up cycling on easy endurance days, enjoying it so much that sessions sometimes extend to 90 minutes.
Meadows emphasised the dynamic between Hodgkinson and Hunter Bell, who push each other in training despite their different personalities. 'They’re a dynamic duo. They elevate each other,' she said. While Hodgkinson is a 'free spirit', Hunter Bell is more analytical, similar to Meadows herself. The coaches also highlighted Hodgkinson's use of Himalayan salt crystals to stay calm, with Painter noting, 'It’s about making the human happy. If they’re in a happy place they’re going to perform well.'
