Keely Hodgkinson, the Olympic 800-metre gold medallist, was voted the BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2024. 

In the recent season, the 22-year-old athlete finished her quest for a world championship by winning gold at the Paris Olympics. Three years earlier, she came second in her Olympic debut in Tokyo. She also won back-to-back silvers at the World Championships. 

Moreover, Hodgkinson set a new British record of one minute 54.61 seconds at the London Diamond League, which made her the sixth-fastest woman in sporting history. She also maintained her European 800m title in Rome.

Named the BBC Sports Personality of the Year, the athlete declared: “I am in a bit of shock… I am more excited for my coach as I wouldn’t be here without his guidance.”

She added: “This year has been incredible and I achieved everything I set out to do on the outdoor track. I hope you loved watching Paris.” 

Following Emma Raducanu (2021), Beth Mead (2022), and Mary Earps (2023), Hodgkinson is the fourth consecutive female recipient of this award. 

In a social media post, Hodgkinson said: “What a great way to end the year. Thank you to everyone who voted!!”

 

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Luke Littler, a darts player, came in second, followed by Joe Root, an England cricketer, in third.

Source: BBC

Elaine Thompson-Herah of Jamaica has pledged to make a comeback after being forced to withdraw from the Olympics in Paris due to an Achilles ailment. 

The athlete previously chose not to compete in the 200 metres at the Jamaican trials, which put an end to her hopes of pulling off the record “triple double” of winning the 100 and 200 metres in three straight Olympics.

After injuring her lower leg during the New York Grand Prix earlier this month, Thompson-Herah announced on social media her withdrawal from the Jamaican trials but said that she is determined to continue her track career.

The athlete said: “It’s a long road but I am willing to start over and keep working and to make full recovery and resume my track career. I am hurt and devastated to be missing the Olympics this year but at the end of the day it’s sports and my health comes first.” 

“I will wait and I will still continue to work towards my goals that I haven’t achieved yet. I will be definitely watching hopefully from the stands and cheer my country Jamaica 🇯🇲 on,” she added. 

 

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On ending the historic ‘triple double’ Olympic wins

Thompson-Herah was hoping to lock down a spot in the 100-metre and relay teams, but she had already opted not to run in the 200-metre event at the trials. After becoming the first woman to win consecutive gold medals in the 100 and 200 metres in the Tokyo Olympics, she lost the opportunity to attempt an Olympic ‘triple double’ by winning the 100 and 200 metres in the next Games. 

With a second-fastest 100-metre time of 10.54, just 0.05 slower than Florence Griffith-Joyner’s world record, and the third-fastest 200-metre time in history, she is undoubtedly a modern-day sporting legend in the field of athletics. 

Thompson-Herah has had a difficult few years following Tokyo, and last year’s injury-plagued season largely cost her a spot at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest. She came back for the 4×100-metre relay, but Jamaica won silver behind the United States, so she was not chosen for the final.

In the past, Thompson-Herah has experienced serious consequences from her Achilles injuries. She said the one-year Covid wait for the Tokyo Olympics helped her overcome the issue after she struggled to fifth place in the 100m at the 2017 World Championships and fourth place in 2019, after the Rio Olympics.

Source: Eurosport

Australia’s Jessica Fox is widely seen as the greatest individual slalom canoe paddler of all time. The 30-year-old eight-time world champion has four Olympic medals under her belt.

The Paris Olympics mark a return to roots for her.

She was born in Marseille, France, but moved to Australia with her family at the age of four.

Selected to be the Australian flag-bearer at the Paris Olympics’ opening ceremony, she said it was “probably the greatest moment of my career” . She shared the honour with the Australian field hockey player and five-time Olympian Eddie Ockenden.

 

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French connection, family of Olympians

Fox, whose mother is French, said, “Obviously that French connection is very strong and it’s such a wonderful, special, unique moment to be able to bring my two cultures together: the French, the Australian,” according to Australia’s ABC News.

She comes from a family of Olympian paddlers.

Her younger sister, Noemi Fox, 27, is making her Olympic debut in Paris, competing in the women’s kayak cross event.

Their mother, Myriam Jerusalmi, won bronze for France at the 1996 Atlanta Summer Games and coaches Jessica. Their father, Richard, paddled for Britain at the 1992 Barcelona Games.

The Paris Olympics will be Jessica Fox’s fourth Summer Games.

She made her debut at the 2012 London Olympics, where she won a silver in the K1 event. Four years later, she won a bronze in the same event at the Rio de Janeiro Games. She won not only a bronze in K1 at Tokyo but struck gold as well. Fox like several others had been been urging women be allowed to compete in canoe slalom, and when it was introduced in the Tokyo Olympics, she won gold in that C1 event.

Outside the Olympics, Fox has won 22 medals at the ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships, including 14 golds, five silvers and three bronzes. Her eight gold medals in individual events make her the most successful paddler, male or female, in World Championship history.

At the London Athletics Meet 2024 Diamond League, world record holder Gabrielle Thomas emerged victorious in the women’s 200-metre event. 

After her victory, the athlete said: “I feel really good. It’s made me feel confident going into the Paris Games after that one… All things considered, hopping off the plane and coming into this stadium with all these people was a really good race for me. This crowd is incredible, it’s got to be my favourite Diamond League – it’s just so fun.” 

In her social media post, the athlete also declared: “What an incredible atmosphere at London Diamond League meeting… A very solid 21.8 (-0.9w) win against a very talented pool of ladies!! Not a bad way to dust off the jet lag… Now…finally off to Paris”

 

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Highlights of the race 

Thomas got off to a strong start, but her opponent, Dina Asher-Smith, gave a lightning-fast  run at the London Stadium in hopes for a British victory. During the duration of the race, Asher-Smith nailed the lead straight with an exceptional bend.  However, as the metres ran out, Julien Alfred of Saint Lucia passed the 2019 world champion as she approached the finish line.

Meanwhile, Thomas also made a move around an easy turn, passing Asher-Smith initially and then overtaking Alfred at the finish line to win with a performance record of 21.82 seconds into a headwind that was pretty constant at 0.9 m/s. Fortunately, the previous record for the London Diamond League meet, held by Jamaican Elaine Thompson-Herah (22.10 from 2015), was broken by Thomas. 

Thomas, who is expected to be one of Shericka Jackson’s main rivals at the Olympic Games in Paris, performed an impressive  feat to achieve her success. 

Source: Olympics.com

The president of the International Olympic Committee, Thomas Bach, has confirmed that the former American Olympic swimmer Gary Hall Jr. will get replacements for his Olympic medals, which were destroyed in the Los Angeles wildfires.

The athlete was forced to evacuate his home in Pacific Palisades due to the wildfires and was only able to take with him his dog, the insulin he uses to treat his diabetes, a painting of his grandfather and a religious artefact. He was unable to return home to get his five gold, three silver, and two bronze medals, which he won at the Olympic Games from 1996-2004. 

In an Instagram post, Hall shared an aftermath video of the disaster and said: “Having love is more important than having things. All worldly possessions are gone. Home is gone. Business is gone. The support from the community is so appreciated. Thank you to all who have generously contributed to the GoFundMe campaign to help me get back on my feet.”

 

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The athlete said: “I was getting pelted by embers on that first run… So I grabbed my dog and some dog food, and that was it… Could I have stayed 30 seconds longer and maybe got the medals? I wasn’t willing to take that risk.” 

In a social media post, Bach stated that the Olympic athlete would be given replicas. He shared: “We are in full solidarity with the citizens of Los Angeles and full of admiration for the tireless work of the firefighters and the security forces.” 

He added: “Currently the full focus must be on the fight against the fires and the protection of the people and property…. We have also learned that a great Olympian, Gary Hall Jr has lost his medals in the fire. The IOC will provide him with replicas.” 

“We are in full solidarity with the citizens of Los Angeles and full of admiration for the tireless work of the firefighters and the security forces. Currently the full focus must be on the fight against the fires and the protection of the people and property. We have also…

— IOC MEDIA (@iocmedia) January 12, 2025

Source: BBC