Daley Thompson says Keely Hodgkinson can become a “complete world beater” when athletics takes centre stage this summer.
The Birmingham Commonwealth Games get underway in 100 days when track and field draws sell-out British crowds for the first time since the 2017 World Championships.
Hodgkinson was a 15-year-old unknown when London held those champs but heads to the Midlands as Olympic silver medallist and British record holder over 800 metres.
The Diamond League champion could also have a second global medal by then as she is one of Britain’s biggest hopes for the World Championships in Oregon in July.
Athletics legend Thompson believes the 20-year-old has all the attributes to emerge from Birmingham as Queen of the Commonwealth track.
“Keely has had the most incredible year or 18 months,” said the two-time Olympic champion, speaking ahead of this Sunday’s Laureus World Sports Awards.
“I think providing she can handle the pressure over the next couple of years, she is going to turn out to be a complete world beater.
“She has to get up every day thinking she has to prove herself as once you get to the top and start thinking you have made it, you are actually on the start of the slippery slope on the way down.
“But she has been tremendous thus far and I expect she will be fabulous.”
Hodgkinson showed her growing maturity to withdraw from the World Indoors on the day of her race, despite being hot favourite, rather than risk a mild quad strain becoming worse and threatening her summer.
“The Commonwealth's being a home Games, I really want to do that,” she explained. “You don’t know how many times you will get to do a home Games.”
Sports minister Nigel Huddleston expects Birmingham to recapture the feel-good factor of London 2012 despite protests during the recent Royal trip to the Caribbean throwing into question the future of the Commonwealth.
“I don't think anybody - including the Royal Family – is pretending that the Commonwealth and our history is without problems,” he said.
“But I do think this is an opportunity to celebrate what unites us. Sport in general does bring people together and actually the Commonwealth Games have got a pretty good legacy.”
Daley Thompson is a Laureus Academy Member, speaking ahead of the upcoming Laureus World Sports Awards. To find out more, visit www.laureus.com
