Keely Hodgkinson's dramatic transformation and huge net worth now after Olympics
The British star is back in action for the first time since the Paris Olympics this weekend
Keely Hodgkinson poses for a portrait in her dressing room following make-up ahead of appearing on the Jonathan Ross chat show
(Image: 2023 Getty Images)
Keely Hodgkinson is finally set to make her much-anticipated return to the track – more than a year after storming to Olympic gold in Paris.
The 800m sensation has been forced to bide her time following injury setbacks, but will step back into the spotlight at the Diamond League meeting in Silesia, Poland, this Saturday. It marks her first race since that golden night in Paris last summer, ending a frustrating spell of false starts.
She was unable to compete at the Keely Klassic – the February event named in her honour – and the recent Diamond League in London came just too soon as she recovered from hamstring problems.
Now, the 23-year-old is finally ready to line up again, starting with a non-Diamond League 800m in Silesia before testing herself just four days later in Lausanne.
'It's been a long time – over a year – since Paris,' Hodgkinson said ahead of this weekend. 'And it wasn't my plan to get back on the start line so late, but I'm super happy to be back racing.'
The Silesia race will take place just before the official two-hour Diamond League broadcast window, but organisers have confirmed the coverage will begin by showing Hodgkinson's comeback run, ensuring fans don't miss her long-awaited return.
Article continues below
While the field does not feature her biggest rivals such as Mary Moraa, Tsige Duguma or Athing Mu, it remains a strong test. Botswana's Oratile Nowe leads the season's best times with 1:57.49, while Australia's Abbey Caldwell and Catriona Bisset, USA's Raevyn Rogers, and Slovakia's Gabriela Gajanová – runner-up to Hodgkinson at last year's European Championships – are also in the line-up.
'I've missed it. I've missed it a lot,' she added. 'This is what I train to do. I can't wait to get out there, and I'm going to give it my best and will see what happens.'
Here, we take a look at Hodgkinson's life to date and how it has changed since her stunning win in the French capital for Team GB last summer.
New life and net worth
Fresh from her Olympic gold medal triumph in Paris, Hodgkinson's world has transformed over the last 12 months.
Before the Games, her net worth was estimated at around £250,000, with a minimum of £39,000 pocketed from winning the gold medal, a respectable figure but modest compared to some of her Team GB team-mates. That figure now looks set to skyrocket, with luxury fashion houses and global brands queuing up to work with her.
She's already landed high-profile partnerships with Nike, Swiss watchmaker Omega, Vitality insurance, make-up giant Rimmel London and skincare specialists Avène. But her agent, Dale King-Clutterbuck, says that's just the beginning.
'We are already talking to some of the biggest brands in fashion who have shown an interest in Keely,' he told MailOnline ahead of the Games. 'But the colour of the medal really will determine that.'
Keely Hodgkinson attends the Richard Quinn show during London Fashion Week
(Image: 2025 Mike Marsland)
Now that medal is gold, PR experts believe 'brands will form a line the length of the country' to sign her up. The opportunities, King-Clutterbuck says, could soon extend to the most prestigious names in style.
'We need to keep making her more credible outside of sport,' he explained. 'Then you're going to be able to look at those big French or Italian fashion houses that are going to prove Keely is really cool.
'She's straight-talking and really funny. She's a generational talent — the best in the world, sixth fastest ever — and she's easier to work with than talent that are nowhere near her level.'
Indeed, winning the BBC Sports Personality of the Year gong in 2024 has only aided in boosting her worth. It is estimated that she could rake in £4m between the Paris Olympics and the LA Games in 2028.
Dr Rob Wilson, speaking last summer after Hodgkinson's medal win, told investment platform Saxo: "Keely is already becoming one of the most recognisable faces for UK athletics.
'Now she has managed to grab the gold, she can expect a stellar relationship with brands, marketing agencies, and UK Athletics, becoming a poster athlete for endorsements and associated commercial activities.
"A Sports Personality of the Year win would only serve to amplify this reputation further. She will be looking at earnings surpassing £1m per year over the next Olympic cycle."
Keely Hodgkinson
(Image: Instagram/Keely Hodgkinson)
Brain tumour scare
Hodgkinson's path to the top has not been without serious challenges.
As a teenager, she faced a terrifying health ordeal when doctors discovered a tumour that left her partially deaf in one ear.
'It crushed through my hearing bones and was just touching my spine,' she told Sky Sports in 2024.
'The decision was whether to take it out or leave it. If it kept growing, it could hit the spine and cause facial palsy — a pretty scary prospect for a 13-year-old.'
Surgeons attempted to save the damaged bones, but the injury meant she struggled with hearing issues growing up.
The long operation kept her out of school for a month, and the effects were felt beyond her ear.
'I couldn't walk at first because of my balance, which was strange,' she recalled. 'Thankfully, it all went to plan. They removed it, and now I just have some missing hearing — which isn't too bad.'
Keely Hodgkinson has had a spectacular year
Split from her boyfriend
Hodgkinson also experienced personal upheaval away from the track, confirming in October 2024 that she had ended a three-year relationship earlier that year.
Her former partner, also a runner, lived abroad, making it increasingly difficult for them to see each other.
'Long-distance killed it,' she admitted. 'He was living in Texas and then Italy, and with my schedule, we could go weeks without seeing each other. It was tough.'
Article continues below
Now single, the Olympic champion says she is not actively seeking a new relationship.
'I'm not really interested in dating right now,' she revealed. 'I've never been on the apps — I prefer meeting people in real life.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
17 minutes ago
- The Independent
Keely Hodgkinson makes stunning return to action ahead of World Athletics Championships
Keely Hodgkinson made a winning return to action at the Diamond League in Poland in her first race since the Paris Olympics. The 23-year-old Olympic champion was back in action following a 376-day absence and showed she has put her hamstring issues behind her by setting a new 800m meeting record of one minute and 54.74 seconds. Hodgkinson sustained a hamstring injury in February before the Keely Klassic and her return was delayed by a number of setbacks. But the Great Britain athlete made a statement ahead of next month's World Athletics Championships in Tokyo. Hodgkinson finished clear of Lilian Odira from Kenya and Botswana's Oratile Nowe in Silesia with the second fastest time of her career, just 0.13 seconds off her personal best. Hodgkinson told the BBC: 'That was so much fun. It's amazing, I really wanted to have this opportunity. 'I don't have much time to get ready for the Worlds, so I have to put something down.' Elsewhere, Kishane Thompson laid down a marker when the Jamaican came out on top in the highly-anticipated 100 metres against Olympic champion Noah Lyles. Thompson blasted out of the blocks and never looked like being beaten, while Lyles, with his typically slow start, ran strongly at the end but the Jamaican won in 9.87 seconds, with Lyles clocking 9.90, his season's best. Kenny Bednarek was third. Kenya's Faith Kipyegon produced an outstanding run in searing heat to fall just under a second shy of the women's 3,000m world record of 8:06.11, set in 1993 by China's Wang Junxia PA
Daily Mirror
18 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Tyson Fury issues instant response to Moses Itauma stopping Dillian Whyte
Itauma destroyed Whyte inside two minutes in Saudi Arabia to confirm his standing as boxing's next heavyweight star Tyson Fury hailed Moses Itauma as the 'future of boxing' after his devastating stoppage of Dillian Whyte. Itauma blew away Whyte with a devastating first-round knockout in their all-British heavyweight clash in Riyadh. The 20-year-old extended his perfect record through 13 professional fights as he sent veteran Whyte sprawling to the canvas inside two minutes. Former WBC interim heavyweight champion Whyte, 37, was not given any time to settle as Itauma – who had been made to wait in the ring by a delayed walk-in from his British rival – immediately went on the front foot. Southpaw Itauma tested Whyte with a flurry of early jabs before more precision shot combinations sent him back onto the ropes. Another powerful right hook sent Whyte crashing to the floor and although he stumbled back onto his feet, the referee stepped in to wave off the contest with just over a minute left of the first round. On the back of another hugely impressive display, the calls will continue to grow for Slovakia-born Itauma to be handed a world title shot in 2026. And Fury was quick to take to social media to hail the young Brit. "There he is, the future of boxing," he wrote. "I've been saying it for years." Itauma has won all 13 of his professional fights, finishing 11 of his opponents early, and has already been tipped to fight undisputed champion Oleksandr Usyk. But he told the BBC: "That's what I've been drilling for 12/13 weeks. I put on a performance for you guys so it's now who's next? I don't want to call out Usyk because I don't believe I deserve the opportunity but guys that do deserve the opportunity, I want to fight those lot. So maybe Agit Kabayel, maybe Joseph Parker. Maybe them type of names." Itauma added at the post-fight press conference: "I'd love to get rounds in and Dillian Whyte was meant to give me rounds. I don't want to be bigheaded but it's not really my fault. I'm going to keep doing what I'm able to do and keep shining. Nobody thought I would knock him out in the first round. "I've been boxing since I was nine years old; I've been boxing more than half my life. It might seem like an overnight success but I've been working on this for 11 years."
The Herald Scotland
an hour ago
- The Herald Scotland
Racing calls one-day strike over proposed betting tax rise
The BHA set up the 'Axe the Racing Tax' campaign in response to proposals to replace the existing three-tax structure of online gambling duties with a single tax, with fears the current 15 per cent duty on racing could be increased to the 21 per cent levied on games of chance. Lingfield will not stage racing on September 10 (John Walton/PA) Brant Dunshea, chief executive at the British Horseracing Authority, said: 'We have decided to take the unprecedented decision to cancel our planned racing fixtures on September 10 to highlight to Government the serious consequences of the Treasury's tax proposals which threaten the very future of our sport. 'British racing is already in a precarious financial position and research has shown that a tax rise on racing could be catastrophic for the sport and the thousands of jobs that rely on it in towns and communities across the country. 'This is the first time that British racing has chosen not to race due to Government proposals. We haven't taken this decision lightly but in doing so we are urging the Government to rethink this tax proposal to protect the future of our sport which is a cherished part of Britain's heritage and culture. 'Our message to Government is clear: axe the racing tax and back British racing.' The four tracks involved are operated by the Jockey Club and the Arena Racing Company, with both backing the move. Carlisle racecourse is also involved in the strike (Tim Goode/PA) Jim Mullen, CEO at the Jockey Club, said: 'We hope this pause for reflection will enable the Government to truly understand the economic impact of horseracing and its cultural significance to communities across the UK, as well as the world-class racing festivals we host. 'After this period of reflection, we hope the full implications will be understood, and we can prevent the irreparable damage that threatens a sport the nation is, and should be, proud of.' Martin Cruddace, CEO at ARC, added: 'We have always been taxed and regulated differently, and it is imperative for our future that we continue to be so. 'If the Government wants Britain to be a world leader in online casino and a world pauper in a sport at the heart of its culture, then tax harmonisation will achieve that aim.' While the four meetings will be rescheduled, Paul Johnson, chief executive of the National Trainers Federation, underlined the 'sacrifice' in calling a halt to the sport for a day. He said: 'Cancelling fixtures is a huge sacrifice by racing and should serve as a stark reminder to the Government of the impact its tax raid will have on our sport. 'Thousands of jobs are at stake alongside the loss of millions of pounds to the British economy.'
