As a summer of sport continues, we hope Team GB do better in the Olympics than England did in the Euros (yep, we’re still bitter). Not only can we look forward to an interesting and varied roster of mind-blowing sport, but we’ll be able to capture the talent from some our local athletes on the world stage. From BMX to athletics and triathlon, these are the talented athletes from Greater Manchester to look out for at this year’s Olympics.
Keely Hodgkinson
Sport: Athletics – Women’s 800m
From: Atherton
Instagram post from @keely.hodgkinson
Hailing from Atherton, middle-distance runner Keely Hodgkinson became a household name the second she crossed the finish line to claim a sensational silver at her maiden Olympics in Tokyo. She broke Dame Kelly Holmes’ previous 800m record which had stood since 1995, marking the latest milestone in her rapidly rising career. She was the youngest Brit in history to win a European Indoor gold medal in 2021.
She has continued to challenge on the global stage since Tokyo, with back-to-back World Championship silver medals. In June, she defended her European title in Rome despite struggling with injury and will head to Paris with the hope of upgrading her previous silver to Olympic gold. She also has her very own mural in her hometown, at just 22 years old, and the pride is likely to continue as Keely is one of the most well-known Greater Manchester athletes at this year’s Olympics.
Georgia Taylor-Brown
Sport: Triathlon
Paris 2024 result: 6th place
From: Droylsden
Instagram post from @georgiatb
Georgia Taylor-Brown became the fifth British female triathlon world champion when she triumphed in Hamburg in 2020. One year later, and she was an Olympic gold and silver medallist. With parents that both competed nationally – her dad Darryl Taylor as an athlete the 800m, and her mum as a swimmer – Taylor-Brown was surrounded by sport from an early age.
She had an injury in the weeks leading up to the Tokyo 2020 Games and suffered a puncture during the race, but it didn’t stop her from winning individual silver on her Olympic debut before following this up magnificently, just days later, as part of the Team GB mixed relay team that stormed to a gold medal. Taylor-Brown will be back for her second Games at Paris 2024, with eyes set on returning to the Olympic podium.
James Guy
Sport: Swimming
Paris 2024 result: Gold medal (team 4x400m relay)
From: Bury
Instagram post from @finisswim
Tearful James Guy could not stop sobbing after claiming gold alongside Tom Dean, Duncan Scott and Matthew Richards in the 4x200m freestyle relay at Tokyo 2020. Days later, he won a second Olympic title as part of the mixed 4x100m relay.
This summer, the swimmer will go to his third Games at Paris 2024 hoping to add to his five Olympic medals, with three silvers to add to his Tokyo double gold.
Anthony Harding
Sport: Diving
Paris 2024 result: Bronze medal
From: Ashton-under-Lyne
Instagram post from @antharding00
A journey that began when he was just five years old will become reality for Anthony Harding in Paris. The diver from Ashton-under-Lyne has spent nearly two decades to get to this point and will now join forces with Britain’s first-ever Olympic diving champion, Jack Laugher.
Laugher and Chris Mears took Olympic gold in Rio in 2016, and eight years on, Harding has formed his own successful partnership with Laugher. Harding will now look to add an Olympic medal to the collection, a reward for all the hours of work that included travelling across the Pennines to Leeds six days a week for six years while still at school.
Charlotte Worthington
Sport: Cycling BMX Freestyle
Paris 2024 result: 11th place in heat
From: Chorlton
Instagram post from @chazworther
Charlotte Worthington is out to defend her Olympic title at Paris 2024. She became one of the faces of Tokyo 2020 when she scooped BMX freestyle gold, becoming the first woman to land a 360-degree backflip in the process. She admitted that adjusting to being Olympic champion was difficult in the period after the Games but is firmly back in the saddle after speaking openly and taking a break from competition.
Aimee Pratt
Sport: Athletics – Women’s 3000m Steeplechase
From: Stockport
Instagram post from @aimeepratt_
Aimee Pratt has come a long way since racing in her Converse at her first significant athletics event, the English U15 Indoor Championships. Pratt was first introduced to the sport when The Diane Modahl Sports Foundation visited her high school, and within a few months was making waves on the middle distance scene.
Having quickly transitioned to the 3000m steeplechase, Pratt gradually got stronger and finished 11th in her heat on Olympic debut in Tokyo. The north-west native’s progress has been cemented by top ten finishes at the World Championships, European Championships and Commonwealth Games since Tokyo − one to look out for!
Hannah Kelly
Sport: Athletics – Women’s 400m
From: Bury
Instagram post from @hannahh_kelly
2024 has been a year of personal best for 400m runner Hannah Kelly and that has come with selection for her first Olympic Games. The Bury native dipped under 52 seconds for the first time this year, setting a new best mark of 51.96 in May.
At the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow, Kelly helped Great Britain to a women’s 4x400m national record as the team claimed bronze. Kelly helped Team GB sew up their relay place at Paris 2024, as she competed in the women’s 4x400m final at the World Athletics Relays, where Great Britain finished fourth, so she’s definitely looking to make her mark at Paris 2024.
Patrick Brown
Sport: Boxing
Paris 2024 result: Round of 16
From: Sale
Instagram post from @gbboxing
Patrick Brown grew up idolising fellow north west boxer Ricky Hatton – now the boxer has high-flying dreams of his own at Paris 2024. Like Hatton, Brown started his career at Sale West, with his dad Mike now running the club where the Hitman honed his craft. Brown even remembers a night when Hatton woke him up from a nap on the sofa to give him some boxing pointers as a child.
The Mancunian has only been part of GB Boxing’s top squad in the last couple of years but has two national titles to his name. Brown beat Poland’s Mateusz Bereznicki in a heavyweight bout at the first Olympic qualifier to bag a quota place and will now fulfil his dreams in Paris.
Good luck to all of our amazing homegrown athletes at this year’s Paris Olympics, making Greater Manchester proud!