Keely Hodgkinson defends catsuit after being banned from wearing it at next Olympics
Keely Hodgkinson's team have insisted that the distinctive catsuit she recently donned does have benefits after Hodgkinson was barred from wearing it at the Olympics in 2028.
The unusual garment is skin tight, partially backless, and also has a wetsuit-style hood that goes over the athlete's head, which is described as a 'sleek speed hood' and even has a special hole cut out of it at the back for her ponytail.
All in all it looks more like something you might expect to see in a 1970s science fiction film rather than on the competitive field in 2026.
Nonetheless, it is claimed that the specially designed suit may just give her a competitive edge over rivals in the mid distance running, something which Hodgkinson's team have insisted after she was barred from wearing it at the Olympics, though for different reasons.
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Speaking to Athletics Weekly her coach Jenny Meadows said that the garment helps Hodgkinson with her performance, saying that she had been able to run in it after suffering from an injury when she fell badly prior to the Prefontaine Classic, The Sun reports.
“She could hardly walk because her knees were so swollen," said Meadows. "She was in a really, really bad way. And she was very tearful all day.
“By the end of the day, she got on an anti-gravity treadmill at the Center and she put the speed suit on. She said it helped her to be able to move."
She added: “Without the speed suit, she couldn’t bend and flex her knee because of the inflammation."
Hodgkinson's coach went on to say that the athlete, who is the sixth-fastest woman in history, had told her that the suit had helped a lot.
“She was literally like: ‘Guys in this speed suit, I can run’," said Meadows. "Keely gives genuine feedback and the speed suit helped her run that day.
“She says it feels like she’s not wearing anything. She says: ‘Honestly, it feels just so light. I can flow'.”
However, Hodgkinson will not be able to wear the 'Zero-Distraction Speed Suit' when she competes for Team GB in Los Angeles for the 2028 Olympics, though not because of concerns around an unfair advantage, but due to conflicting sponsorship deals.
The British Olympic Association has a sponsorship deal with Adidas, and the catwoman-like speed suit is made by Nike, a business competitor.
Nonetheless, Meadows, who is herself a world championship silver medallist in the 800 metres, has said that the suit really does make a statement, and that her initial reaction when she first saw the suit was a little sceptical.
“My initial reaction was like: ‘Oh, you’ve got to be brave to wear that'," she said, while her husband and fellow coach Trevor Painter had a different reaction.
"Trevor was kind of like: ‘Yeah, you look Catwoman. Go for it. It’s so you'," she recalled.
"You’ve got to think: Is it faster or is it just a gimmick?" said Meadows. “You’ve actually got to walk out in front of an audience the first time and you’ve got to win in that thing. It’s a statement piece.”
Kit Roberts