Keely Hodgkinson made sure all eyes were on her before she even stepped onto the track at Athlos London. The Olympic 800m champion arrived at StoneX Stadium in a head-turning all-black Nike speed suit, wearing a hood and dark sunglasses with an open back. Once the race got underway, though, Hodgkinson let her running do the talking by winning the 800m in 1:56.40 and giving her new outfit the perfect debut in front of a home crowd. But while the suit looked like a confident choice, Hodgkinson later revealed that she had some doubts of her own before walking out in it.

The British star admitted that stepping onto the track in the unusual outfit was a little nerve-racking. “I was a little nervous walking out with, like, you know, shades. The shades helped me just block out the noise, but it was really fun. And that’s something I’ll remember forever,” Hodgkinson said. The suit itself was not simply a last-minute choice for Athlos London.

Hodgkinson revealed that the design had been in the works for around a year, with Nike’s innovation team working on the idea and the technology behind it. She also pointed to Cathy Freeman as an inspiration for the look. Freeman famously wore a full-body Nike suit when she won the 400m gold medal at the Sydney 2000 Olympics, a moment that has remained one of the most recognisable images in track and field.

Hodgkinson was not born when Freeman made history in Sydney, but she has since watched the race and seen photographs from that time. “It’s really cool to just draw inspiration from the past and also make it your own as well,” Hodgkinson said. For Hodgkinson, the appearance of the suit mattered just as much as the technology behind it. 

“The style was a big thing for me. I wanted to be comfortable, but I also wanted to feel a little bit sexy, you know, the back’s open,” she said. Despite the full-body design, Hodgkinson said she did not feel overheated in the suit. “I’m not hot at all. Like it literally feels like I’m wearing nothing to be honest,” she said. That comfort was not something she discovered for the first time at Athlos London.

Hodgkinson had already tested the suit during training in South Africa. “I trained in this in South Africa in 37 degree heat and it was all good,” she said. That experience gave her an idea of how the suit would feel before she brought it out for a major race. And after winning the 800m in London, Hodgkinson suggested fans could see more of the design from her in the future.

The Olympic champion was also asked whether the suit actually felt fast when she raced in it. “I think when it comes to something feeling fast, it’s a mixture of mental and physical,” she explained. After putting the suit through training, dealing with her nerves before the race and then winning in it on home soil, Hodgkinson certainly got the kind of debut she would have wanted.

However, Hodgkinson’s unusual racing suit was not the only thing that made Athlos London different from a traditional track meet.

Athlos London gives athletes a chance to stand out

Athlos also brought a strong focus on fashion and entertainment, with athletes arriving at the venue on bespoke London buses before walking a red carpet ahead of their events. Georgia Hunter Bell was among the athletes to take part in the red-carpet experience.

Sha’Carri Richardson also caught attention before the competition when she arrived in a custom Nike Atelier outfit. Her look featured a fitted rib-knit corset, matching micro shorts and an oversized jacket, with Swarovski crystals placed around the jacket and on her thigh-high socks. Then, Richardson later won the 100m in 10.80.

The event itself also had a different feel from a regular athletics meeting. DJs provided music throughout the night, athletes received individual walkouts and the competition was built around a more entertainment-focused atmosphere. With fashion, music and athletics all brought together, Athlos gave its athletes plenty of ways to stand out, and Hodgkinson certainly made the most of hers.