"ONCE she goes around that bend, no one's going to stop her".
When a young Keely Hodgkinson joined Leigh Harriers at the age of nine, Margaret Galvin knew she was something special.
Right from the get-go, Keely was winning county championships in 800m, 1200m, 1500m, and cross-country races, and her former coach knew that if she stayed on the right path, no one could stop her.
With Margaret and her late husband Joe helping to nurture Keely's natural talent, the 22-year-old has lived up to her potential after achieving a silver medal in the Tokyo Olympics, winning four European Championships, and breaking a 26-year-old national record in the women's 800m.
And as the 800m qualifiers start tonight (Friday, August 2), this marks the start of a journey where Keely can go one step further and become an Olympic champion. But as her former coach explains, this is something she was always destined for.
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Margaret said: "It was obvious right from the very start that she was always special.
"She was county champion all through the age groups growing up, and a lot of the time we were more nervous than she was!
"She was always great at knowing where she was in the race, and where she needed to be, and once she goes around that final bend, no one is going to stop her".
With young athletes as talented as Keely, Margaret said that one of the most difficult things is keeping them on the right track so that they can fulfil their potential.
It can be a fine line, Margaret said, between developing talent and not pushing too hard, and hoping they retain their passion for the sport when there are competing interests present.
While this can be a tough balancing act for a coach, Margaret said this was never a challenge with Keely, as her dedication never wavered.
"She was always a great trainer, and she sacrificed a lot because there are always competing things going on in a young person's life", Margaret added.
"But Keely always put racing first; I remember her coming back from family trips to Centre Parks to compete, before heading back again.
”She has had some hiccups along the way but she had ‘Paris 2024’ as a goal in her diary, so this is something she has always wanted to do.”
And while Keely has become a household name in the world of Athletics, and is favourite to win gold at the Paris Olympics, Margaret said that she has always remained grounded and has never forgotten where she came from.
An example of this is when Keely dedicated her Istanbul European Indoor Championship win to Margaret's late husband Joe, and celebrated with a Great Britain flag that read "Joe Galvin - Legend".
"That was a very emotional moment for me, because I was watching by myself at home and I didn't realise she was going to do that", Margaret added.
"She won the youth European Championships when she was still being coached by me and Joe, and we were always so proud of her.
"I still keep in contact with her and her mum always keeps me updated with her races.
”She will always be a Leigh Harrier, it’s just that now she is the fastest woman in the world.”
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