The healthful second the UK cheered Keely Hodgkinson to glory

Friends, family and pundits have reacted to Keely Hodgkinson’s exceptional gold medal after the Team GB star blew away a strong field to win the 800m final in Paris.

The magical win meant the 22-year-old finally overcame an agonising run of second-place finishes, including a tantalising silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics three years ago.

Hodgkinson arrived at the Paris Games with high hopes, ranked number one in the world, and cruised through the heats and semi-finals with consummate ease.

And she thrived under the pressure at a raucous Stade de France to run a winning time of 1 minute 56.72 seconds and the 22-year-old can finally soak in the glory of being an Olympic champion.

Now footage has emerged of fans, in Paris and across the UK, reacting with joy to the Brit’s memorable 800m victory.

Gabby Logan and Jessica Ennis-Hill were among those cheering on Keely Hodgkinson tonight

The magical win meant the 22-year-old finally overcame an agonising run of second-place finishes 

She thrived under the pressure at a raucous Stade de France to run a winning time of 1 minute 56.72 seconds 

An animated Gabby Logan joined former Olympic champion Jessica Ennis-Hill in standing up in the BBC studio to cheer Hodgkinson to glory.

The pair can be heard shouting, ‘Come on Keely’, as they support the Team GB poster girl.

Meanwhile, England football star Ella Toone was filmed watching the event at home and holding her head in her hands as she struggled to cope with the tension.

Similarly, the runner’s friends were seen shouting the Olympian’s name as she cruised round the track at the Stade de France and secured gold.

The noise was deafening at Leigh Harriers, Hodgkinson’s home athletics club, as a large crowd saw the Brit race towards the finish line.

And when the gold medallist completed her victorious run, former Olympic champion and BBC presenter Denise Lewis could be seen in tears as the importance of what the athlete had just done sunk in to those watching. 

At the start of the momentous race, Hodgkinson waited patiently for one of her other rivals to make an early move and set the pace and Ethiopia‘s Tsige Duguma duly obliged. 

It was all part of the Brit’s plan, however, and Hodgkinson stayed on the shoulder of her competitor – ready to pounce.

And she did so just seconds later, assuming the leading position three-quarters of the way through the first lap and she never looked back.

As the halfway bell rang, the field of world-class athletes furiously picked up the pace in a last-gasp bid to grab an Olympic podium spot.

In particular, Hodgkinson had to fight off a strong performance from Moraa which saw her practically neck and neck with the Brit at times during the second half of the race.

But the Team GB poster girl effortlessly picked up the pace and cantered clear of the field to cruise over the line. 

odgkinson had to fight off a strong performance from Moraa which saw her practically neck and neck with the Brit at times during the second half of the race 

But the Team GB poster girl effortlessly picked up the pace and cantered clear of the field to cruise over the line 

The Team GB star lived up to her favourite tag in nerveless fashion to beat a strong field

As the importance of what she had just done sank in, Hodgkinson let out a roar and took photos with loved ones to kick off what is set to be a long night of celebration.

And she almost topped her winning run with a memorable performance ringing the Olympic bell – her effort in the new post-event feature as strong as anybody else’s throughout this Games.

Duguma eventually overtook a flagging Moraa to claim silver with a personal best time of 1min 57.15secs while the Kenyan clung onto bronze.