Serena Williams Crowns Keely Hodgkinson with £20,000 Gift After Stunning 800m Victory
Keely Hodgkinson has been crowned with a £20,000 tiara by tennis great Serena Williams after her latest success in New York.
Team GB's 800m superstar won an all-female Athlos meet in the United States with an impressive time of 1:56:53.
Hodgkinson ended her season with victory, finishing in front of fellow Brit Georgia Hunter Bell and St. Vincent's Shafiqua Maloney.
This was only her sixth event of the year due to spending time out injured after a hamstring tear was followed by other setbacks.
The 23-year-old was back on the track a few weeks after being denied gold at the World Athletics Championships in September.
And she was able to bounce back and claim glory - receiving an extra special prize in the Big Apple, instead of a gold medal.
At the Athlos meeting, things worked differently than usual, with live music being played and a party atmosphere in the stands.
Another change from the norm was the rewards too, with £20,000 Tiffany & Co. crowns being handed out to winners.
It meant Hodgkinson left with an expensive, glitzy prize, with it being handed over to her by a sporting icon.
Tennis legend Williams, who is married to Athlos founder Alexis Ohanian, was in attendance to crown winners.
Speaking after her win, Hodgkinson said: "I've barely raced this season, so it was probably less of a struggle for me to go out there and want to give it something.
"The atmosphere out there is crazy, so it was really, really fun."
Finishing on a high
Hodgkinson's season has ended with a £20,000 reward, in a result that helped her return to winning ways.
She began her athletics campaign in August with two wins in Poland and Switzerland in the Diamond League.
That set the Olympic champion up nicely for the World Athletics Championships, bringing her back to fitness after injury.
Hodgkinson won her heat and her semi-final with ease, but things didn't go to plan in the final.
She was only able to pick up bronze at the Worlds, with Hunter Bell swooping in to seal the silver medal.
Kenya's Lilian Odira took the gold, but despite that, after winning her last race of the season, Hodgkinson made sure to end on a high.
New challenge ahead
With this athletics season coming to a close, all eyes will soon be moving onto the next.
And for Hodgkinson, she will have a new rival in the 800m.
Five-time 400m hurdles gold medallist, Femke Bol, is making a major career change to pursue success in a new event.
Despite Bol admitting it will be 'unfamiliar territory', she will hope to challenge Hodgkinson and co. for glory.
On the Dutch star's change, Hodgkinson said: "I honestly can't wait to compete with her. She's chosen an event that's been going really well in recent years. She's running some amazing times.
"I commend Femke for her courageous decision. I think she has the talent to do very well in the 800 meters."
Eagles Receive Fresh Prediction To Trade All-Pro Talent
The Philadelphia Eagles‘ otherwise dominant-looking season has come to a skidding halt over the past couple of weeks, when the team lost twice in the span of five days, falling to the Denver Broncos and division “rivals” – although they have been hardly that for quite some time – the New York Giants.
The defense, particularly the secondary, has not managed to hit the heights set in their Super Bowl-winning 2024 campaign, part of which is down to the offseason release of former All-Pro, Darius Slay, who eventually landed with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
But it is the offense that has taken the bulk of the heat from the outside, as new offensive coordinator, Kevin Patullo, attempts to regain the Eagles’ efficacy in both the run and passing game.
At this point, lying at 4-2, the natural move would be for Philadelphia to look for additions to the roster to give the team a much-needed boost as the league heads into mid-season.
Could The Eagles Move A Star Player Before The Trade Deadline?
However, recent events – including AJ Brown saying he did not recall a meeting that he had with quarterback, Jalen Hurts and All-Pro running back Saquon Barkley – has some around the league believing that his time in an Eagles jersey could be coming to a close sooner rather than later.
Dianna Russini of The Athletic reports that an anonymous AFC general manager predicts that Philadelphia general manager – the widely respected Howie Roseman – will ultimately pull the plug and trade Brown ahead of the trade deadline on November 4th.
“The Eagles will continue to insist they have no plans to trade Brown, their star receiver.” Russini wrote on Saturday. “But every week that passes with problems piling up makes decision-makers around the league wonder.”
“One league source told me: “Brown doesn’t look frustrated or mad — he looks indifferent. And that’s not a good place to be.” A GM in the AFC said, “I think Howie (Roseman) moves him. It would have to be for the right player or pick, but (a trade) wouldn’t surprise me. Howie likes deals, especially if a player’s value overrides how Brown is being used.”
What Could An AJ Brown Trade Look Like?
Value wise, the Eagles will be hard pressed to find value commensurate to the 18th overall pick that they gave up for him back in 2022.
Since the trade, however, Philly has gotten three straight 1,000+ yard receiving seasons and second team All-Pro selections from the ex Ole Miss man, alongside a coveted Lombardi Trophy this past February, the second in franchise history.
A day two pick of some sort for the All-Pro would likely end up being the requisite price needed to pry away Brown from the North East, perhaps with the addition of a player either going to or from Philly.
But Roseman will still be wary of giving up one of his top players whilst still being right in the midst of the team’s Super Bowl window – especially for a position so hard to come by as an elite WR1. So any thoughts of the Eagles having some sort of fire-sale discount on Brown can be put to bed.
