Keely Hodgkinson 'can help propel athletics to new heights', insists fellow Olympian

Hodgkinson, 24, arrived in the West Midlands bidding to claim a successive hat-trick of continental crowns after grabbing gold in both Munich and Rome.

The Olympic 800m champion from Atherton – who is coached by Wigan duo Trevor Painter, and his wife Jenny Meadows – missed the recent Commonwealth Games in Glasgow to prioritise the Europeans, where a star-studded line-up will descend on the impressive Alexander Stadium.

Hodgkinson and training partner Georgia Hunter Bell have both been at the forefront of a golden era for British athletics, with Hunter Bell capitalising on Hodgkinson’s absence in Glasgow to win 800m gold.

While elsewhere, Josh Kerr broke the coveted one-mile world record at last month’s Diamond League meet in London before following it up with Commonwealth gold on home Scottish soil.

Baulch, 53, enjoyed a decorated career on the track in the late 1990s and early 2000s, claiming Olympic 4x400m relay silver at Atlanta in 1996 before upgrading that to global gold in Athens the following year.

He believes it is harder for athletes in this era but hailed Hodgkinson and the current generation for catapulting the sport forward.

“It’s unbelievable – Keely and Georgia are big time,” he said. “They are amazing – and Josh as well.

“Those guys and the middle-distance runners – we’ve had some amazing distance runners from Seb Coe, to Steve Cram, Steve Ovett and then Kelly Holmes.

“These guys are running faster and better – you just think ‘wow’. The sport is in a really good space. It is a really exciting time for British athletics – so it’s great to see.

“And we need it, because the trouble is with sport now there is so much bandwidth, the sports men and women don’t get the same attention that I would have got when I was competing, because there were only five channels on TV, there was no social media or distraction.

“You’re playing football in the yard as a kid and you come in, and I’m on your tele.

“You couldn’t help but watch me – and that’s why I could list 30 names where you would go ‘I know all those names’, and we’re all 30 years out of date.

“The reason for that is that it was a premier sport in a premier time of its career.

“It’s tough now – the sport is in a tougher position because of all the noise surrounding it, so it’s really important that we’ve got those stars to prop it up right now.”

Novuna is the Official Finance Partner of British Athletics and proud sponsor of the GB & NI Athletics Team. From everyday goals to world-class dreams, Novuna backs the ambition of millions across the UK — from supporting British businesses and individuals’ plans, to powering British Athletics on the global stage. Find out more at www.novuna.co.uk