“It’s the first time since Budapest [in 2023] where Keely has turned up to a championship, 100 per cent healthy – even in Paris [while winning Olympic gold] she had a bit of a niggle and missed some of the winter,” said Painter. “Last year hurt more than anything because we saw she was in world-record shape and then to get the injury [before her Keely Klassic race in February] was like a death in the family.”
Painter’s sister owns a crystal shop and he even bought Hodgkinson a 40kg Himalayan salt lamp in the hope that it would ease her self-confessed mood-swings. Painter, a straight-talking rugby league player from Wigan, even had a crystal next to his own bed in Torun this weekend.
“It’s also about making the human happy – if they’re in a happy place then they’re going to perform well,” he said. “She [Hodgkinson] is just in a very happy place at the moment. Relationships-wise, she’s moving house, so that’s exciting, when you have all those things coming together. Some people have got the science, and they can’t connect with the individual. Some people are great with the connection, and don’t have the science.”
Meadows added: “I’m very analytical. I was a bit of a robot as a runner. Georgia’s exactly the same; she’s a student of the sport. Keely’s the free spirit – you have to keep things flexible for her.”
Beating the boys and inspiring the girls
Training in the group is largely mixed, meaning Hodgkinson and Hunter Bell are regularly keeping pace with outstanding male runners. Then there is the fact that they are themselves training together day in, day out. Not many Olympic medallists would have welcomed a potential rival inside her camp but, even after being very narrowly beaten at the World Championships 800m last year by Hunter Bell, Hodgkinson seems happy with the company and competition. They often share rooms and, when not going stride-for-stride in training, are cheering the other on from track-side.