World Athletics president Lord Coe is satisfied “actual deal” and newly topped BBC Sports activities Character of the 12 months Keely Hodgkinson has already ascended to British nice standing.

Hodgkinson surged to shock 800 metres silver on the postponed Tokyo 2020 Olympics earlier than assembly expectations because the favorite to assert her first Olympic gold in Paris this yr.

The 22-year-old has, since Tokyo, twice collected silver at world championships, and can look to go one step additional on the 2025 worlds subsequent September in Japan.

“She’s there,” stated Coe, when requested about Hodgkinson’s standing within the British pantheon.

“She’s there. You don’t win a Europeans and an Olympics and successfully smash a nationwide file that has stood for a very long time, and end quantity two on the rating checklist on this planet, with out being there.

“I believe the query is how lengthy will she be capable of keep that, from being so comparatively younger in doing that?

“However, yeah, she’s up there. I’d be onerous pushed to position any feminine athlete considerably above her within the historical past of our sport within the final 50 years.”

Hodgkinson ran a private 800 metres better of 1:54.61 on the London Diamond League meet in July, nonetheless a way off Jarmila Kratochvilova’s world file 1:53.28.

Requested if the Briton can be able to going beneath the Czech athlete’s 41-year-old marker, two-time Olympic 1500 metres champion Coe replied: “I’d like to see that for all kinds of causes, really.

“I’d like to see it as a result of I believe she’s the actual deal. She’s already going to complete her profession with one thing I by no means managed, which is an Olympic title at 800. I attempted it twice, so I take my hat off to her.

“Look, a second is lots in athletics, it’s an enormous hole, however I simply assume she’s obtained the scope and the flexibility, and she or he’s obtained the teaching construction as nicely.

“She comes from an excellent endurance base, and she or he is what I’d describe as a barely old style 800-metre runner, and that could be useful.

“I’m additionally in all probability going to get an enormous submit bag on this, however I believe it additionally helps that she comes from the northern athletics custom, which does perceive the character of cross nation, and actual endurance-based athletics.

“So I believe she will be able to make that. I believe she will be able to bridge that hole, however I don’t child myself.

“One second, in actuality, is a distance. However I believe she’s obtained the scope and the potential, and she or he’s actually obtained the teaching constructions.”

Coe was fast to level out that it was somebody from athletics, center and long-distance runner Christopher Chataway, who was topped the inaugural Sports activities Character of the 12 months winner in 1954.

The present World Athletics chief gained it himself in 1979 – earlier than claiming Olympic gold in Moscow and Los Angeles – and was twice a runner-up, whereas Sir Mo Farah’s flip in 2017 was the final time somebody from athletics took residence the prize.

Requested what affect the win may need for Hodgkinson, Coe replied: “I don’t know what the viewing figures are proper now but it surely’s not going to harm her.

“The truth that there’s conjecture and individuals are speaking about her and (had been) speaking concerning the sport within the lead-up can solely be a superb factor.”