Olympic medalist Keely Hodgkinson set a new British record this week as she crossed the 800m finish line on Tuesday, making the whole of Leeds incredibly proud.
Now she’s praised the city and its Leeds Beckett University – which she says was invaluable in helping not just her but 12 of her fellow Team GB Tokyo Olympics 2020 athletes to prepare and train for the momentous sporting event.
Hodgkinson’s team mate Alex Bell, also a graduate of Leeds Beckett, also recorded a personal best when running in the final on Tuesday.
At just 19 years old, Hodgkinson is currently studying her first year of Crimonology at the university. She told the BBC that the university had been “so supportive” of its athletes, adding “We had two in the final.”
“Stood on the start line at the Olympics I said, ‘Wow this is crazy,’ but I wanted to take it all in and put on my best performance,” she continuted.
Hodgkinson was pipped to the gold medal by US teenager Athing Mu, but scooped up silver with her record-breaking time of one minute 55.88 seconds – which destroyed that previously set by GB’s Dame Kelly Holmes in 1995.
Academics at the university, coaches and the Carnegie School of Sport work with a number of athletes, including Lizzie Bird and Leeds-born Bell.
Leeds Beckett alumni, meanwhile, includes athletes like the Brownlee Brothers, Alex Yee and Georgia Taylor-Brown.
“The general atmosphere is that people are quite encouraging and help each other here,” said Andrew Henderson, the university’s head athletics coach.
“But then to see an athlete that trains at your facility who you know crossing the finishing line is just fantastic.”
Vice-chancellor prof Peter Slee said: “The last year has not been easy for any of the athletes but their hard work and perseverance have now paid off.”
The full list of olympians and paralympians that have come out of Leeds Beckett University:
- Alex Bell – 800m – BA (Hons) Human Geography 2014, alumna
- Keely Hodgkinson – 800m – BSc (Hons) Criminology, current student
- Alex Yee – triathlon – BSc (Hons) Sports & Exercise Science, current student
- Jonny Brownlee – triathlon – Honorary Graduate, 2019
- Georgia Taylor-Brown – triathlon – BSc (Hons) Sports & Exercise Science 2015, alumna
- Tom Bosworth – race walking – BSc (Hons) Sports Performance 2013, alumnus
- Callum Wilkinson – race walking – BSc (Hons) Sports Events Management 2019, alumnus
- Lucy Bronze – football – BSc (Hons) Sports Studies 2013, alumna
- Lauren Smith – badminton – BSc (Hons) Sports Coaching 2014, alumna
- Emily Campbell – weightlifting – BSc (Hons) Sports Science 2016, alumna
- Lizzie Bird – steeplechase – Leeds Beckett Talent Hub athlete, non-student
- Dame Sarah Storey DBE – para-cycling – BSc (Hons) Sport & Exercise Science 1999, alumna
- Kadeena Cox MBE – multi-disciplined – BSc (Hons) Sports & Exercise Science 2013, Honorary Graduate 2017, alumna
- Ali Jawad – weightlifting -BSc (Hons) Sport & Exercise Science, 2019, alumnus
Feature image – Keely Hodgkinson Twitter.
