Keely Hodgkinson faces backlash over American accents remarks on TikTok

Keely Hodgkinson, the Olympic gold medallist who has become a focal point of British athletics, is drawing backlash after posting a TikTok video that criticizes American accents. The 23-year-old has risen to prominence since Paris 2024, securing lucrative sponsorships with brands such as Nike, Omega and Rimmel London, and an estimated net worth cited by some outlets in the vicinity of several million pounds. The controversy unfolds as Hodgkinson competes at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, where she had just earned bronze in the 800 meters and the moment arrived amid a string of high-profile results at the meet.

In the clip, Hodgkinson filmed herself rolling her eyes and taking a sip as a voiceover described an agitating and grating voice. The video’s captions stated that there are Americans in the restaurant and that they are really the loudest in the room. The post prompted a flurry of responses in the comments, with supporters and critics weighing in on social media. Among those who weighed in was American athlete Masai Russell, who added a measured remark to the discussion, while Hodgkinson responded by engaging with fans as the thread unfolded.

The timing of the video coincided with a busy stretch at the championships. Hodgkinson’s post came three days after she captured bronze at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, a meet where her training partner and roommate, Georgia Hunter Bell, won silver in the same event. Kenya’s Lilian Odira won the gold in that race, adding another layer to a meet that has featured a mix of triumphs and setbacks for Hodgkinson and her circle. Hodgkinson has acknowledged the uneven nature of elite sport, noting that even the best athletes experience years without podium finishes and that the overall arc of a career is remembered for wins rather than every setback.

The episode has reignited discussion about athletes using social media to speak candidly about fans, nationalities or cultural differences. Some commentators defended Hodgkinson, saying the clip reflects a personal moment and should be understood in context, while others urged more careful consideration of audiences and unintended implications. Hodgkinson’s public profile has been shaped by a string of endorsements and a narrative in which she is viewed as a darling of British athletics, a status that comes with heightened scrutiny whenever she speaks online.

Hodgkinson has not publicly provided a formal comment through her representatives in connection with the video, but outlets close to the case noted that she has repeatedly emphasized the need to stay focused on performance and recovery. A portion of the broader conversation surrounding her remarks touched on the balance athletes must strike between engaging with fans and avoiding messages that could be interpreted as dismissive of a large, diverse audience. Her supporters have urged patience, while critics have pressed for greater sensitivity in cross-cultural commentary.

Beyond the social-media moment, Hodgkinson has faced the practical realities of an elite athletic career. She has spent more than a year dealing with a hamstring injury that sidelined her for 376 days, and recent health issues appeared to contribute to a difficult period ahead of the championships. Yet she has remained determined, arguing that the sport’s history will ultimately judge athletes by their championships and their contributions to the sport, not by a single online post.

As Hodgkinson navigates the attention that follows a high-profile ascent in track and field, observers will be watching how she integrates the incident into her broader public narrative and whether it affects sponsorships, fan engagement, or media opportunities. The episode underscores the heightened exposure that Olympic success brings in the social-media era, where a single video can quickly become a focal point of debate about culture, fans, and national identities in sport.