Keely Hodgkinson’s SPOTY win could push Olympic superstar into the £1m-a-year bracket with sponsorships and endorsements

KEELY HODGKINSON’S SPOTY triumph is the completion of a magnificent year.

And in line with monetary experts, she is attributable to rep a money windfall – presumably pushing her annual earnings in opposition to the £1MILLION label.

She went into the Paris Olympics with an big weight of expectations on her shoulders as favourite for 800m gold.

But Hodgkinson, soundless easiest 22, coped admirably with the stress to ship emphatically over 116 seconds and two laps of the Stade de France observe.

And now she will be able to utilise her new-chanced on standing with the BBC‘s SPOTY award to be particular her monetary security for years to achieve encourage.

Dr Dan Plumley, sports activities finance expert at Sheffield Hallam University, told on line casino.co.uk: “Scooping the SPOTY award will easiest manufacture greater her standing and position.

“She’s already changing into one of the most recognisable faces for UK Athletics.

“Her success can consequence in off-observe partnerships and endorsements with correct relationships with brands and advertising and marketing agencies.

“Off-field earnings are a key driver of monetary success for particular person athletes.

“And it’s no longer irregular to seek files from athletes pursue sponsorship and industrial opportunities to take hang of their profits.

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“Produce and success on the observe will proceed to drive what happens for next for Hodgkinson.

“But there is little doubt that the sponsorship opportunities will continue to come in.”

Hodgkinson stole the nation’s hearts final summer season in Paris.

Everybody had expected Hodgkinson – the world’s main 800 metres runner – to storm to victory on the night of Monday, August 5 and she did correct that.

Her beaming smile and warm personality is why this girl from the Increased Manchester town of Atherton, who now lives in Salford, used to be voted final night as BBC Sports activities Personality of the 365 days.

Right here is the fourth successive year a girl has lifted the prestigious trophy – following tennis superstar Emma Raducanu and footballers Beth Mead and Mary Earps – and that could be a file.

It is the nineteenth time in 60 years somebody from observe-and-field has received the major SPOTY Award, better than any other sport.

Decent company that entails extinct winners Steve Ovett, Seb Coe, Daley Thompson, Kelly Holmes and Mo Farah.

A reminder that even though some tall names refuse to achieve media or the sport continues to suffer monetary cutbacks, there is an appetite for athletics at the absolute best degree.

These days Hodgkinson, is aged to winning races that she enters nonetheless that used to be no longer continuously the case.

Except this summer season, the center-distance heroine needed to accept silver at THREE major championships – the 2021 Olympics and 2022 and 2023 World Championships.

Those 2d-placed results in actuality hit her exhausting, especially as she used to be defeated on every occasion by fractions of a 2d.

Concerns that she could another time turn into the bridesmaid were allayed as she entered the Video games having posted a non-public most effective of 1:54.61 in London in July – the sixth-most effective time in ancient past.

The entire lot went completely on the observe in 2024 – “the first time in a year the achieve I’ve the truth is done all the pieces ” – something that presumably easiest happens a pair of times in an athlete’s occupation.

But this time 365 days ago, she used to be unable to wander for NINE WEEKS over Christmas and the Recent 365 days attributable to a severe knee wretchedness.

It used to be all all the diagram down to a freak accident the achieve she had “torn a ligament and tendon and a runt bit of my hamstring round the knee home”.

Whereas she used to be interesting to resume coaching early, it used to be easiest by paying consideration to and trusting her coach Trevor Painter that she managed to leisure up and then manufacture a profitable return.