Keely Hodgkinson caps off the year of her life: SPOTY and Team GB star who overcame a childhood tumour that left her deaf and unable to run is on track to earn millions as major brands queue up to sign Britain’s golden girl [Video]

Beaming with pride alongside the coveted Sports Personality of the Year trophy, Keely Hodgkinson capped off the year of her life with another moment to savour last night.

The 22-year-old from Greater Manchester, now the UK’s biggest female athletics star, was crowned the world’s fastest woman over 800 metres when she secured Olympic gold at Paris 2024.

After blowing away her rivals over half a mile in a packed Stade de France, she posed on the track with the Union Jack in one hand and a glitzy gold crown in the other.

There was no one that could stop Hodgkinson on the track on August 5 – or in the battle for public opinion last night.

Hodgkinson pipped darts superstar Luke Littler and England cricketer Joe Root for this year’s SPOTY. The favourite was awarded the gong at a star-studded ceremony in Media City, a stone’s throw from her apartment in Salford.

But in a testament …