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Keely Hodgkinson

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10-08-2021
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Athletes supported by London Marathon Events celebrate success

Athletes supported by London Marathon Events celebrate success at Tokyo Olympic Games

Athletes supported by London Marathon Events (LME) enjoyed an exceptional Olympic Games in Tokyo.

Of 30 British endurance runners who received LME funding in 2021, an incredible 11 won selection for the Team GB athletics team in Tokyo with Alex Bell, Lizzie Bird and Jake Heyward all making track finals and Bird even setting a new national record.

Furthermore, teenage 800m sensation Keely Hodgkinson has also benefited from LME’s Playground to Podium pathway for British distance running.

Hogkinson, who won a silver medal and became the fastest Briton ever over 800m, is part of the Leeds Beckett University Training Hub which is one of two centres in England funded by LME. The 19-year-old has also twice run the Virgin Money Giving Mini London Marathon and attended the London Marathon Events Young Athlete Camp, a week-long camp held annually* for the best young endurance athletes in the country.

Among the other highlights from London Marathon Events-supported athletes in Tokyo were:

  • Alex Bell reached the women’s 800m final, finishing seventh in 1:57:66, a new personal best (PB) and the sixth fastest time in history by a British woman. Bell has been on LME elite athlete funding programme for three years, from 2019.
  • Lizzie Bird ran a national record of 9:19:68 to finish ninth in the women’s 3,000m steeplechase final. Bird has been on LME elite athlete funding for two years, from 2020.
  • Jake Heyward reached the men’s 1,500m final where he finished ninth. He set a new PB of 3:32:82 to qualify from the semi-final. Heyward has been on LME elite athlete funding since 2020.

Other LME-funded athletes who competed in Tokyo were Sam Atkin (10,000m), Ben Connor (marathon), Steph Davis (marathon), Amy-Eloise Markovc (5,000m), Jess Piasecki (marathon), Marc Scott (5,000m and 10,000m), Zak Seddon (3,000m steeplechase) and Chris Thompson (marathon).

Steph Twell (marathon) and Aimee Pratt (3,000m steeplechase), who both graduated from the LME funding programme to British Athletics funding, were also in Tokyo.

London Marathon Events – icon

London Marathon Editor

Aug 10, 2021 ·

3 mins read

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  • Elite info

Everyone at London Marathon Events congratulates all the athletes for their fantastic achievements in Tokyo. The Olympic Games will inspire a whole new generation of athletes thanks to the incredible performances of athletes like Keely Hodgkinson and we are so proud to have played a part in their pathway to the top.

Hugh Brasher

Event Director of London Marathon Events

The London Marathon Events funding programme offers direct support to 30 endurance athletes not on British Athletics support programmes.

It is part of the Playground to Podium pathway created by London Marathon Events that also includes:

  • The Daily Mile: inspiring activity in primary schools by managing and delivering The Daily Mile programme, which encourages pupils to take part in at least 15 minutes of activity a day, across London’s primary schools
  • Virgin Money Giving Mini London Marathon: iconic races for London boroughs and UK regions on the streets of London on the day of the world’s greatest marathon plus a virtual edition for schools across the country to take part in 2.6-mile challenge (more than 250,000 children have already signed up for the 2021 edition)
  • Talent Development Hubs: the support of two training hubs at the University of Birmingham and Leeds Beckett University, aimed at providing bases for the country’s most promising young athletes, such as Keely Hodgkinson.

LME has been providing British endurance running with funding since 2001 and also hosts the British Championships for the mile, 10K, half marathon and marathon distances in addition to dedicated prize funds for British runners.

Beyond athletics, Tokyo triathlon gold medallists Alex Yee and Georgia Taylor-Brown both also competed in the Virgin Money Giving Mini London Marathon.