Joining the Olympic bronze medallist as the biggest attractions without Hodgkinson was Olympian Neil Gourley, who broke the British 1,000m indoor record in 2mins 16.74secs to sharpen up for a run at European and, pending an almighty domestic battle in one of the deepest events, the World Indoor Championships too.
The Olympic champion was unable to run at the inaugural event due to injury, but hundreds of kids turned out for the new event, as she bids to recover in time for the World Championships in Tokyo.
So without Hodgkinson, attention turned to Georgia Hunter Bell on the track, and she flirted with the British 1,500m indoor record, only to fall six-tenths of a second short but still producing an impressive run to win in 4mins 0.63secs.
The heartbreak of her shock injury this week, scuppering an audacious run to take down Jolanda Ceplak’s long-standing mark of 1m 55.82secs, had somewhat subsided as hundreds of adoring young girls turned out to offer overwhelming support to their idol at the inaugural Keely Klassic.
But Hodgkinson has inspired a new fanbase and this event appealed to a rare crowd, admittedly not at full capacity though predominantly packed with kids, a difficult feat in professional sport with the temptation to neglect sport for other interests.
