Keely Hodgkinson looks like she’s operating bare as she defends ‘attractive’ Nike catsuit
The British athletics star has become a style icon and innovator on the track
Keely Hodgkinson’s black catsuit set pulses racing(Image: Getty Images)
Keely Hodgkinson and her coaches have defended the Olympic champion’s daring catsuit that makes her feel like she’s running naked. Hodgkinson debuted the all-black Nike Speedsuit as she dominated 800 metres at the all-female Athlos meet in London last month.
The Catwoman-like outfit set tongues wagging across sport, with some asking if it was legal. There has been nothing to suggest it isn’t within the rules, with Hodgkinson hinting she could wear it, or something similar, at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
The suit was partially inspired by Australian legend Cathy Freeman, who wore a similar outfit as she stormed to gold in the 400m at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney. Hodgkinson said: “[Freeman] was before I was born, but I have seen the race and photos. It was really cool to draw inspiration from the past and make it your own as well. The style was a big thing for me.
Hodgkinson resembed Catwoman in the outfit(Image: Getty Images)
“I wanted to be comfortable but I wanted to feel a little bit sexy, the back’s open and that makes it feel really cool. It feels like I’m wearing nothing to be honest.”
Crucially, Hodgkinson has the support of her coaches, Ron and Jenny Meadows, even if the latter was initially taken aback. She told Athletics Weekly: “Keely is an innovator, she’s always wanted to do things differently and she’s a big lover of fashion.
“She shouted over, ‘Trev and Jen, what do you think of this?’ My initial reaction was like, ‘Oh, you’ve got to be brave to wear that.’
Hodgkinson says she feels “sexy” in the outfit(Image: Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
“And Trevor was kind of like, ‘Yeah, you look Catwoman, Go for it. It’s so you.’ Nike were so respectful of us as coaches because they obviously wanted us to be really, really comfortable with it.
“Because at the end of the day, we think about performance and it’s not just what you look like. You’ve got to think: Is it faster or is it just a gimmick?
“You’ve actually got to walk out in front of an audience the first time and you’ve got to win in that thing. It’s a statement piece.”
Hodgkinson could wear something similar at the next Olympics(Image: Getty Images)
“She was literally like, ‘Guys in this speed suit, I can run.’ She says it feels like she’s not wearing anything. She says, ‘Honestly, it feels just so light. I can flow.'”
Hodgkinson believes the suit meets legal standards, and while aerodynamics were of the utmost importance, she did negotiate one critical compromise.
She said: “The science was like technically with the air drag you’re slower with your hair out, but I was like, ‘That’s a non-negotiable. My hair is staying out.’ I’m very much, ‘Look good, feel good.'”
