Sebastian Coe has sponsored Keely Hodgkinson to emulate Jake Wightman by means of successful a global name and believes her European Championships good fortune in Munich and her hatred of dropping can propel her to glory in 2023.
The 20-year-old has gained Olympic, global and Commonwealth silver medals over 800m, in addition to European out of doors and indoor gold, in an astonishing first two years of her senior occupation. Yet Lord Coe, who is aware of greater than maximum about 800m and 1500m glory, believes a lot more is to come back and expects Hodgkinson’s first primary out of doors name on the Europeans in August to be a springboard against global championship good fortune in Budapest in the summertime.
Asked whether or not he sensed Hodgkinson was once getting nearer to being a dominant athlete and difficult the American Athing Mu, Coe mentioned: “Yeah, I do. The reality she gained when she did in Munich is essential. She had to get a championship underneath her belt.
“She’s in point of fact grounded. I in point of fact like spending time chatting to her. But I additionally like the truth that she does not like dropping.
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“I see her within the tunnel after a race she loses, it is no picnic. I take into accout status subsequent to Jakob Ingebrigtsen after he misplaced to Jake Wightman within the 1500m on the global championships in Eugene and I form of mentioned one thing like ‘just right race’ and he went: ‘No it wasn’t, I ran shit,’ and he moved on after which gained the 5,000m. I love him. Keely’s the similar.
Coe may be a just right pal of Wightman and his trainer and father, Geoff, and advises them on coaching. While he’s inspired with Jake’s plans to double up at 800m and 1500m in 2023 he is aware of it’s going to be devilishly tricky to win global medals at each.
“The reality of it is that it’s hard,” he mentioned. “Physically, Jake is in just right form. I do know what he does in coaching. He does just right over-distance paintings. He’s nonetheless a company believer in cross-country. He does just right paintings within the fitness center, he is sturdy in that space. But it is most definitely as difficult mentally as it’s bodily.”
Coe, who won 1500m Olympic gold in Moscow and Los Angeles after falling just short in the 800m at both Games, said: “Most people don’t manage it. If you go back historically, Peter Snell and Kelly Holmes are among a few that have done it, but in less secure environments and in a less secure time. I tend not to get into that.
“But it’s really about how you manage the gap between the two events that you’re doubling up in. That’s really the tough bit.”
