Dina Asher-Smith, Keely Hodgkinson and Katarina Johnson-Thompson were awarded with Member of the Order of the British Empire honors on Monday for their for contributions to athletics.
All three athletes are among the group of people who were named as part of King Charles’ New Year’s Honours list. More than 1,200 people in fields ranging from arts, politics, sports and community service were issued distinctions that included Member, Commander or Officer of the Order of the British Empire (MBE, CBE or OBE) — while others received notice of their upcoming knighthoods and damehoods.
Asher-Smith, Hodgkinson and Johnson-Thompson’s success in track and field for the United Kingdom on the global stage were the determining factors in being named among the latest MBE recipients.
They all competed in the Paris Olympics last summer, with Hodgkinson winning gold in the women’s 800m final as Asher-Smith won silver as part of Team GB’s women’s 4×100m relay team and Johnson-Thompson taking silver in the Heptathlon. Meanwhile Hodgkinson was also named BBC Sports Personality of the Year in early December.
“It’s so amazing to be recognized and to have been given this award,” Hodgkinson said in a statement. “This year has been incredibly special for so many reasons and it’s such a nice surprise to have been honored in this way.”
Fifteen other Olympian who represented the United Kingdom were also honored with MBEs on Monday.
