A new mural dedicated to Keely Hodgkinson has cemented her local legend status – as her coach hailed her as a “prominent superstar in female sport.”
The mural, which depicts Hodgkinson’s 800m European Championship gold, honours the Olympic, World and European Championship medallist as well as her hometown Atherton’s industrial heritage.
Commissioned by Atherleigh and Atherton councillors, Atherton Community Trust and Atherton Residents’ Association, it was painted on the side of Hepworth and Hall Opticians on Church Street by Manchester street artists Tony Kelso and Evan Barlow.
And Hodgkinson’s proud coach Trevor Painter said: “I think the mural is really good. Last year during the Olympics, even though we still had to live with Covid, all the local shops in Atherton had pictures of Keely, good luck messages and flags in the window.
“So there’s a good community spirit there and they really do champion and support her well.
“She can’t walk down the street now in Atherton anymore without people parading her. When they said they were thinking about doing this, the family were really touched. It looks spectacular.”
Painter detailed the difficulties Hodgkinson – and others – endured in the wake of the pandemic.
“This year is the hardest year athletes have ever had to endure,” said Painter, who works alongside wife Jenny Meadows in guiding Hodgkinson’s career. “To have three major Championships to try and aim for, the sensible option would have been to say let’s just do one.
“But for us the standard of the competition was harder first and then got slightly easier for each one. For us we were like, well you might as well try all three. The first one is the main one and then you carry onto the next.
“She’s done absolutely amazing, to just do one Championship this year would’ve been hard enough but she’s done three.”
Off the back of her Olympic silver medal in 2021, Hodgkinson was dealing with an abundance of media attention as well as the high demands of being an athlete.
He continued: “She’s come into this year with so much pressure on her. She’s having to deal with this whole new world that’s erupted.
“Last summer she was virtually unknown, went to the Olympics, came home with a silver medal and all of a sudden she’s a big name.
“It’s been a very tough year mentally for her to get through because of the extra burden of everyone having you as a target and seeing you as the one to beat.
“But she’s handled it with aplomb and backed up what she did last year so I can’t be any prouder.”
Hodgkinson rounded the season with 800m silver at the World Championships in Oregon, silver at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games and gold in Munich at the European Championships.
The 20-year-old is due back in training this Saturday and has her sights set on the Indoor European Championships in Istanbul and the World Championships in Budapest next year.
Painter added: “We structure training so that we’re ready for the most different scenarios which could happen and then Keely chooses which she thinks will be the best on the day.
“She’ll want to win everything there is but there are times where you have to say, well, at this race we’re not quite at peak shape so it doesn’t matter where we finish so let’s practice this and practice that scenario.
“But for the big meetings and the big Championships we go in there wanting to win.”
