Jenny Meadows, one of Keely Hodgkinson's coaches, has defended the athlete's use of the Nike all-black catsuit. The 24-year-old runner will not be able to wear the outfit at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, having debuted the suit at the all-female Athlos event in London last month.
Victory and outfit attention
Hodgkinson secured victory in the 800m event, but it was her choice of outfit that captured the attention of many. After the race, Hodgkinson admitted that she "wanted to feel a little bit sexy".
The suit worn by Hodgkinson took inspiration from a similar outfit worn by Cathy Freeman, an Australian running icon, who won gold at the Sydney Olympics in 2000. Nevertheless, Hodgkinson will be prevented from wearing the outfit when flying the flag for Team GB at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, owing to the team's partnership with Adidas rather than Nike, the suit's manufacturer.
Coach's support
Jenny Meadows, one of Hodgkinson's coaches, has rallied behind the decision to wear the outfit and shed light on why the choice represented a "statement" from the athlete.
"Keely is an innovator, she's always wanted to do things differently and she's a big lover of fashion," Meadows told Athletics Weekly.
"She shouted over, 'Trev [fellow coach Trevor Painter] and Jen, what do you think of this?' My initial reaction was like, 'Oh, you've got to be brave to wear that.'
"And Trevor was kind of like, 'Yeah, you look Catwoman, Go for it. It's so you.' Nike were so respectful of us as coaches because they obviously wanted us to be really, really comfortable with it.
"Because at the end of the day, we think about performance and it's not just what you look like. You've got to think: Is it faster or is it just a gimmick? You've actually got to walk out in front of an audience the first time and you've got to win in that thing. It's a statement piece."
"She was literally like, 'Guys in this speed suit, I can run.' She says it feels like she's not wearing anything. She says, 'Honestly, it feels just so light. I can flow.'"
Inspiration from Freeman
Hodgkinson revealed her reasoning behind selecting the outfit at the Athlos event in London last month, explaining that Freeman had served as her inspiration.
"[Freeman] was before I was born, but I have seen the race and photos. It was really cool to draw inspiration from the past and make it your own as well," Hodgkinson said. "The style was a big thing for me.
"I wanted to be comfortable but I wanted to feel a little bit sexy, the back's open and that makes it feel really cool. It feels like I'm wearing nothing to be honest."
