Gold medal favourite Keely Hodgkinson was relieved to get her Olympics under way after a round of 800m heats on Friday that saw the Atherton star ease through to tomorrow night’s semi-finals.

Tokyo 2020 and two-time world silver medallist Hodgkinson, who two weeks ago lowered the British record to a world-leading 1min 54.61secs at the Diamond League meet in London, was the fastest finisher in the fourth of six heats at Stade De France, crossing the line in 1:59.31.

Teenager Phoebe Gill clawed her way back after dropping to fourth to secure the last of three berths available from her heat in 1:58.83, while Tokyo fourth-place finisher Jemma Reekie got the job done with a first-place finish from the opening group in 2:00.00.

Hodgkinson said: “I don’t really like heats. They’re not my favourite. I was just glad to qualify. I thought the girls really stepped up, because I was looking at their heats and I was like, ‘that’s quite tough, actually, for a heat.

“[Heats] are worse than the final, to be honest. The final you know you’re just giving everything and that’s that.

“In the heats and the rounds you have to contend with people giving it their absolute all, you’re trying to conserve energy, at the same time you don’t want to make a mistake.

“So I’m definitely glad that’s done. I’m just glad to make it through safely. The semis will be fun.”

Hodgkinson, ranked world number one at her signature distance, stormed to a surprise silver three summers ago, breaking Dame Kelly Holmes’ 26-year-old British record in the process.

She and has since collected silvers at back-to-back world championships and the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, and is one of Great Britain’s best hopes for gold on the purple Paris track.

Hodgkinson did not rule out the possibility of all three British women reaching Monday night’s final, saying ahead of Sunday's semis: “I don’t see why not. I feel like things can happen at championships, I feel like Phoebe has done really well. She’s taking it all in her stride.”

When Hodgkinson elected to run the 400m at June’s British championships it was St Albans’ teenager Gill who beat Reekie to the national title and booked herself a spot on Team GB.

It was as recently as June 2023 that Gill won the 800m title at the English Schools championship, and by May had lowered her personal best to 1:57:86 at the Irish Milers meeting in Belfast.

And just over a year after that schools title Gill, one of 14 teenagers representing Team GB this summer in Paris, had to keep it together on the start line when she realised she was officially an Olympian.

She said: “It’s very emotional being out there. It’s my first time in that sort of arena, and, you know, it’s the Olympics. It’s the best competition in athletics, and seeing my face on the screen when the camera came around, I was trying not to cry.

“I was like, you can’t break down before doing 800 metres! (Even) in that cool room, and having that camera on me, it’s something new to me. And it really reminds me, I’m in a top league now.”

Friday was the first time the Paris track had been tested and by all appearances it seems to be a fast one, with 15 women breaking two minutes in the 800m heats.

Meanwhile, the mixed 4x400m relay returned after making its Olympic debut in Tokyo and the British quartet of Sam Reardon, Laviai Nielsen, Alex Haydock-Wilson and Amber Anning won bronze in tonight’s final as 23-year-old Bolton Harrier Hannah Kelly had just a watching brief after also being overlooked for the heats last night.

Bury-born Kelly, at her first Olympics, will be in contention for selection for the women’s 4x400m relay which gets under way on Friday morning, the final following on Saturday night.