Voting has closed for SJA members to decide the winners of three major categories at the British Sports Awards 2024; winners will be announced live on Sky Sports News on Wednesday 20 November; Stuart Broad, Mary Earps and Manchester City’s men’s team claimed the 2023 honours; who will take the top prizes this year?
By Jasmine Trapnell
This summer we saw the crowning of a new people’s princess: Keely Hodgkinson.
At just 22-years-old, Hodgkinson won 800m Olympic gold, making her the tenth British woman to win athletics gold at the Olympics.
Hodgkinson’s historic gold is also Team GB’s first and only Olympic track title since Sir Mo Farah won the double across 5,000m and 10,000m at Rio 2016.
The fact it happened 20 years after Dame Kelly Holmes took gold in Athens makes it a remarkable way to continue the British middle distance legacy.
The golden glory transpires beyond Hodgkinson’s athletic ability – having lost 95% of her hearing in one ear aged 12, the gold medallist is the perfect role model for young people across the world.
Following her victory, Hodgkinson punched the air as she ran to celebrate with her family in a sea of Brits – the emotion of her win flowing for all.
Hodgkinson said: “I can’t believe I have finally done it.
“I am now the Olympic Champion for the next four years and no one can take that away from me.
“I am super happy I could bring it home, not just for me and my team but for everybody.”
This gold held immense weight as Hodgkinson had built a collection of silver medals since the Tokyo 2021 games, making this gold a celebration for the nation.
But this season, Hodgkinson achieved more than just Olympic gold.
In June, she took her fourth successive senior European title in Rome.
Then just a week before the Olympic opening ceremony, Hodgkinson broke her own British record with a time of 1:54:61 on home soil at the London Diamond League.
Not only did Hodgkinson run the fastest time this year, but she is now ranked sixth of all time across 800m globally, with only Caster Semenya running faster in the last decade.
She is also undefeated over 800m this season, an incredibly impressive feat with the depth of talent she competes against.
Dubbed fearless and a superstar by Holmes herself, Hodgkinson has rocketed into the homes and hearts of the British public.
Having overcome hearing loss, disappointment and heartbreak before going on to win Olympic gold, it is clear that Hodgkinson should undoubtedly win the SJA Sportswoman of the Year 2024.
Sports journalist Jasmine Trapnell is a member of the SJA Academy – find out more about membership here.
Visit our SJA British Sports Awards 2024 hub article for more information.
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