KEELY Hodgkinson’s greatest day is in prospect and she feels ready for it.

The Team GB poster girl, from little old Atherton, will have the world’s eyes lasered in on her from the sound of the gun in the Paris 2024 women’s 800-metre final tonight.

There has not been a hotter tip for a gold medal in Paris – in any sport.

Everything the Leigh Harrier has done to catapult herself onto the global stage all comes down to this at Stade de France.

Despite still only being 22-years-old, Hodgkinson has plenty of richly deserved silvers in world events - four in total including Tokyo 2020.

But now she craves a gold strike.

She wants to be first over the line, throw her arms in the air and become an Olympic champion.

Hodgkinson has breezed through to the medal-deciding race, and was fastest by some distance in qualifying from the semi-finals last night as she hared home in heat three.

She virtually led from start to finish, staying out of harm’s way from the chasing pack and kicking clear of her rivals in the home straight.

"It felt great,” she said after her impressive semi-final success.

“You can't talk about medals until you're in the final so I'm super happy to put that performance together.

“You can't take any chances. It gave me a good practice but I just wanted to be safely qualified. Job done.

"We're in the final now. Mission is on. All I can say is tune in for a really exciting race.

"I think it will be very quick. We have got incredible ladies pushing each other on. In the last couple of years the 800m has sky-rocketed to new heights, I am really grateful to be part of that "I have said it all year I really want to upgrade my silver (from Tokyo).

“I think I am in the best shape physically, mentally, emotionally to do that, that I have been ever.

“So I just hope that I can put it together and let's see what we can do."

Hodgkinson said ‘what we can do’ not ‘what I can do’.

She is only too well aware that she cannot achieve great things without having a great team around her, as well as the support of her nearest and dearest.

But it is likely she is also referring to the whole nation being behind her which is true – and nowhere more passionately than in her hometown!