Team GB athlete Keely Hodgkinson banned from wearing catsuit at Olympics
Keely Hodgkinson once again made the country proud when she took to the track last Friday (18 September) in a Catwoman-like speed suit.
The 24-year-old dominated the 800 metres at the all-female Athlos event in London after walking out in her all-black, hooded, part-backless, long-sleeve kit complete with a ponytail cutout.
But while the speed suit was pretty iconic, Hodgkinson won’t be able to wear it if she competes at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics due to a clash of sponsors.
The 2024 gold-medallist’s specially-made (and pretty fashionable) suit is the result of a year’s collaboration with the Nike innovation team.
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And she seemed to hint that the athletes could be wearing a style like the Zero-Distraction Speed Suit by the LA Olympics as she said: “We might know some things that people don’t.”
But as many will know, while the Team GB athletes may have a chance of wearing a speed suit of sorts, it won’t be a Nike one.
That’s because the British Olympic Association has a long-running partnership with Adidas, with kits coming from the brand for the past 42 years.
So even if Nike got the go-ahead from World Athletics for the suit to be worn, it won’t be British athletes donning it.
UK Athletics may have a ‘long-standing’ partnership with Nike but this is still different to the Olympic team.
Hodgkinson was asked on Friday if everyone will be wearing the style by the 2028 event and she said: “We might know some things that people don’t.
“It was a test out there. This is not something we haven’t seen before. Like Cathy Freeman and some other athletes from a while ago did something like this, and this is the updated new version, with the new technology.”
Speaking about the Aussie Olympics icon, she continued: “(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.
“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. I trained in it in South Africa in 37-degree heat and it was OK.”
So, we may see Hodgkinson in a speed suit of sorts in 2028 but it’ll have to be different to this iconic Nike one.
LADbible has contacted Team GB for comment.
Jess Battison