AS Keely Hodgkinson crossed the line to become the third British woman to win Olympic 800m gold, those at Leigh Harriers celebrated with a mixture of joy and relief, because they knew this was her destiny.
Although Keely had already proved herself with four European Championships, she had grown frustrated at her successive silver medals at the Tokyo Olympics, the 2021 Commonwealth Games, and the 2022 and 2023 World Championships.
However, for those at Leigh Harriers who have witnessed her win county, national, and international championships, Keely's dream of becoming an Olympic champion was never in doubt, and they watched her make history together from Leigh Sports Village.
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Margaret Galvin, Keely's former coach who watched the race at Leigh Harriers as it was broadcast live on BBC One, said: "It has been a bit crazy because there were multiple broadcasters filming and interviewing us last night, and I have more interviews today, so I can only imagine how many people want to talk to Keely!
"The room was a bit tense before the race because although we knew she was going to win, anything can happen in these races, and we could tell that Keely was nervous too.
"But she ran her own race and forced her competitors out wide, and there was such relief after the race. We were all so proud."
Following Keely's countless wins when representing Leigh Harriers, which added to her unwavering dedication to the sport, Margaret said that she "always knew she was special" and that she could become an Olympic champion.
Margaret, who coached the former Fred Longworth pupil with her late husband Joe, said: "I truly believed that Keely was going to make it to the Olympics and become an Olympic champion, and now everything that I thought was going to happen, has happened.
"A commentator mentioned that she has only had a short career, but she hasn't had a short career for us, because she has been racing since she was nine and we've tracked her all the way.
"She had Paris 2024 as a goal in her diary so I believe that it was her destiny to become an Olympic champion; she is only the third woman to do it at 800m so she is a part of history."
Noting that Keely has "youth on her side" to win further Olympic golds, Margaret emphasised her pride in Keely's achievements and that she has remained grounded and appreciative of the support she has received.
She added: "This is a gold for Keely and for all the people who have trained with her at Leigh Harriers helped to get her where she is today.
"She was already an inspiration but now she is going to inspire so many more young athletes."
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