Britain’s Keely Hodgkinson, 800m world silver medalist, says she all the time knew that her schoolmate Ella Toone would grow to be an England star as a result of she used to “smoke” all the youngsters in soccer.
The 2 have been good associates ever since they met at Fred Longworth Excessive Faculty in Tyldesley, Higher Manchester, the place they used to play cross-country and soccer collectively. Hodgkinson mentioned she and Toone, who scored England’s first purpose in a 2-1 win over Germany at Wembley on Sunday, had been each dwelling their goals.
“He was two years older than me, however someway we ended up getting alongside rather well,” mentioned Hodgkinson after qualifying for the 800m remaining of the Commonwealth Video games.
“I used to be all the time referred to as the ‘mini Ella’ rising up at school. So we saved in contact and he or she was in Tokyo too final yr. We’re simply two ladies dwelling their goals. “
Hodgkinson mentioned he knew Toone would go straight to the highest. “He performed on our males’s soccer staff and smoked them, so there was completely no method he could not make it.”
Hodgkinson mentioned she performed on a staff with Toone in school, however she wasn’t good in any respect. “We additionally did some cross-country. I’ve all the time had a bent to beat her in racing, however she was naturally superb, she’s very proficient. “
Hodgkinson, who received a silver medal on the Olympics final yr, mentioned she was caught up within the progress of the Lionesses and could be a sport changer for girls’s sport throughout the nation.
“It was completely incredible, I actually loved watching it,” he mentioned. “And what is going to he do for girls’s sport? I’ve seen all of the little ladies take a look at it and it is very nice for them to see it as a result of they would not have had it earlier than. She did very properly to attain. I do know she is over the moon, so congratulations to her.