Great Britain’s Georgia Hunter Bell completed a remarkable journey at the weekend when she won her first global title on the track after running a world-leading 3:58.53 for a brilliant triumph in the women’s 1500m final at the World Indoor Athletics Championships in Poland.
Hunter Bell’s victory kickstarted an amazing treble for Great Britain who claimed three gold medals in a sensational 28 minutes, with pole vaulter Molly Caudery and Olympic champion and world record holder Keely Hodgkinson in the 800m following her example.
Hunter Bell, who was a track runner when younger and a former University of California-Berkley star, only returned to the sport in 2022 after a five-year break, partly thanks to her taking up duathlon during the global COVID pandemic.
GB vest ‘became the goal’
A rapid rise in the age-group ranks saw her crowned the Duathlon World Champion in the 30-34 age category at the Ibiza Multisport World Championships in 2023.
Speaking to British Triathlon she said of that moment: “I found out on social media about the age group opportunity and how you could get a Team GB vest and that sort of became the goal.
“I had never represented Great Britain, so that was my first opportunity so it was really exciting. I loved getting my Trisuit in the post with my name on it.”
“I loved the idea of mixing two sports, something that was old and I was familiar with and taking something new I was starting to get to grips with and putting me out of my comfort zone.”
That reignited her love for running and she would soon take a sabbatical from her job in cyber security and the rest is history – a bronze medal in the 1500m at the Paris Olympics and now a first global title.
‘A euphoric night and the perfect race’
Hunter Bell was the British team captain for the World Indoors in Torun and the clear favourite having won both her 1500m races this season before the Championships.
She didn’t panic when Ethiopia’s Birke Haylom opened up a big lead, pacing the catch perfectly before powering clear of her rivals on the last lap to win in superb fashion.
“This time two years ago I was working in tech sales, now I’m a world champion,” Hunter Bell told the BBC in her post-race interview. “I felt like the area I needed to progress in was coming into a championships, being the favourite and winning. It is such a relief.”
And of her return to running, which will no doubt inspire many others, she added: “I gave up as a kid and came back as an adult.”
She later added on Instagram: “A euphoric night and the perfect race. A game of patience, belief and courage. I have failed before. But this one was only ending one way.
“Team Captain. British record. Gold medal. World champion.
“We bought it homeee.”
