Hodgkinson prepares for her races by showering and applying fake tan, styling her hair and doing her make-up. She often has music blaring. On race day, her Louis Vuitton bag contains all of her kit. She claimed her gold medal wearing long purple acrylic nails.
But it has taken time for her to find peace with her image as an athlete. Hodgkinson has spoken openly about many young female athletes walking a line between wanting to be feminine and wanting to win, with a hard training regime that gives them a body that is built not to let them down. It can be tough sometimes – whoever you are – when you are growing up and look different to your peers.
“I think my only struggle, maybe recently, would be … one of those general things that athletes, girls have, just looking really muscular,’ she has said. “Some days I’ll be really lean. I hate looking really lean because I think that I look ill.” But she’s moved beyond this now, learning to love herself and her body because of the success it brings.
“There’s a percentage e of girls between 17 and above that drop out because of their body image, which is quite sad,” she said. “But muscular is a nice thing. It’s not a bad thing and it’s what helps you to do really great things on the track.”
