Even when she knew Olympic 800m gold was assured, Keely Hodgkinson’s eyes kept flicking towards the giant screen in the Stade de France, checking for thieves lurking in the Paris night. This time, though, she would not be denied.
As the 22-year-old from Atherton crossed the line there was a sharp thump of the right fist. Then a roar that seemed to extinguish three years of pressure and expectations. And suddenly Britain’s first track and field medal of these Games was hers.