Sport
Britain equals best-ever medal tally at World Athletics Championships as Atherton’s Keely Hodgkinson wins silver
Greater Manchester putting in the graft.
With the 2023 World Athletics Championships having finished this weekend, Great Britain managed to equal their best-ever tally at the competition, with local athlete Keely Hodgkinson helping the team bring home 10 medals overall. A huge effort all around.
The last time the nation took home this much silverware was three decades ago at the 1993 Worlds in Stuttgart, but thanks to the efforts of the Manc middle-distance runner, as well as the likes of the 4x400m men’s and women’s relay teams took home, it was a healthy haul.
Bagging a total of two gold, three silver and five bronzes, Great Britain and Ireland athletes placed in three different events in what turned out to be a successful final night in Budapest.
Brilliant stuff.
The standout story for us, of course, was seeing Wigan‘s Keely Hodgkinson notch yet another silver medal, her third in just two world championships and an Olympics that have taken place in the last two years — all at the age of just 21.
Just over a year on from finishing second in the 800m over in the US, the Atherton-born athlete notched yet another silver medal at the World Championships, her fifth in the last three years and while she admitted she did think she was going to be able to “come up the inside” and win it and is obviously gutted to just miss out gold again, she still believes “it’s only a matter of time“.
Here’s how she pulled off her latest feat, nipping ahead within the last final split seconds.
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Speaking to reporters after, she said she felt like she “didn’t put a foot wrong” and was simply pipped to the post by the quicker runner on the day, just narrowly missing out to Kenya’s Mary Moraa who took first place.
Meanwhile, she still clocked in at one minute and 56.34 seconds, finishing ahead of the previous champion Athing Mu (who beat her to the gold at Tokyo 2020) in third and GB teammate Jemma Reekie in fifth. Not too shabby whatsoever and we’re sure that gold will come soon enough.
And even still, we also thoroughly enjoyed the fact that she went a bit viral last week after summing up pretty much every British person every summer since the dawn of time.
You’ll get ’em next time, Keely — and hopefully, it’ll be less muggy.
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Featured Image — British Athletics (via Twitter)/Keely Hodgkinson (via Instagram)
Sport
Everton manager Sean Dyche randomly pops up in the music video for Blossoms’ new single – and he’s great
Danny Jones
Did anyone else think they’d ever see Sean Dyche make his acting debut in the role of a Northern crime boss in a silly little music video for the Blossoms?
No, us neither but that’s the bizarre alternate reality we’re living in, apparently.
Blossoms are currently working on the fifth studio album and have already released their lead single entitled, ‘To Do List (After The Break-Up)’, but now they have a new song out as well, with a rather amusing music video to go along with it and somehow Sean Dyche has found himself the star.
The Stockport band teased the curious collaboration in April, giving us just short glimpses of the Everton manager and former Burnley boss with very little explanation – all we know is that it looked funny and it was.
Dyche is still busy trying to finish the Premier League campaign as strong as possible after successfully navigating the Toffees to safety even in spite of their points deductions this season, but it sounds like keeping them up has given him enough time to moonlight as an actor.
Sending the indie five-piece on a mission to collect something of value (yes, that’s all the info we have at this point as the story is still to be continued), it looks like the Kettering-born coach has a larger role to play in whatever this narrative turns out to be.
Playing what can only be described as some kind of semi-Manc mafia figure on the hunt for a very valuable piece of art, i.e. a big giant gorilla statue – one that many Stopfordians spotted being lugged around various parts of the borough –
They also shared a little bit of BTS footage from the shoot for the music video last week. Some lovely head-bobbing and unassuming surroundings here:
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As for the track itself, it’s a bit of stylistic change for the lads who’ve mastered their 80s-tinged indie formula over the past decade but it’s an absolute pop and is already stuck in our heads.
Revealing that they’ve collaborated with contemporary funk, disco and electronic icons Jungle on the track, it doesn’t take too long to hear the influences. Look forward to hearing it at Wythenshawe Park this summer.
You can watch the music video for ‘What Can I Say?’ and the ginger-goatee’d football manager extraordinaire in full character HERE.
He’s not the only footballing figure who’s made an entertainment crossover recently either.
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Featured Images — Blossoms (via YouTube)/Virgin EMI
Sport
Tributes paid to former Manchester City winger Ian Mellor, dead at 74
Danny Jones
Tributes are pouring following the death of former Manchester City star, Ian Mellor, who has sadly passed away at the age of 74.
Mellor, from Sale in Greater Manchester, played as a left winger for Man City as well as the likes of Norwich City, Brighton, Chester, Sheffield Wednesday and Bradford.
With his family and former club confirming the death on Wednesday, 1 May, social media has been awash with people paying their respects to the seasoned ex-pro who sadly died following a long battle with amyloidosis, a rare and incurable disease which affects organs such as the heart, brains and kidneys.
Replying to his son and ex-Liverpool turned Sky Sports broadcaster, Neil Mellor, the club paid their respects to the former Blue who made 50 appearances for the club.
Mellor began his career just down the road at Wythenshawe Amateurs before going on to represent City from 1970 to 1973.
A boyhood fan of the club, he scored 10 goals whilst wearing Sky Blue and also went on to win the Charity Shield with them back in 1972.
Eventually nicknamed ‘Spider’ for a good chunk of his career due to his long-legged stature, he remained attached to the beautiful game for years after his retirement and went on to become a committee member for the Former Players Association at City.
Joining the likes of all his former clubs, Chester City said: “Everyone at [the club] is saddened to hear of the passing of Ian Mellor. Sending all our love to you and your family, Neil Mellor.
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His son Neil’s goodbye has touched many online too, calling his dad his “hero” and his “everything”.
He also went on to thank locally-based end-of-life care organisation and charity, St Ann’s Hospice, who have facilities all over Greater Manchester and who helped care for Ian in his final days.
Our thoughts are with his friends and family as well as those whose lives he touched through football during this difficult time.
Rest in peace.
For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.
Featured Images — Manchester City/Neil Mellor (via X)
