Georgia Hunter Bell conceded her future may be intertwined with that of Kenya’s Faith Kipyegon after claiming 800 metres silver at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.
Paris 2024 Olympic 1500 metres bronze medallist Hunter Bell beat fellow Briton and Olympic 800 metres champion Keely Hodgkinson by one one hundredth of a second on Sunday night, the final day of action in Japan, in a race handily won by Kipyegon’s surprise-contender compatriot Lilian Odira.
Kipyegon has dominated the 1500 metres, winning four out of the last five world titles – including this year’s – and set a new world record, 3:48.68, in July at the Prefontaine classic in Eugene, but has recently suggested she wants to keep pushing herself at longer distances.
“It depends on what Faith Kipyegon wants to do,” said Hunter Bell, asked if she will keep up both the 800 and 1500 metre races after setting a new personal best 1:54.90 in the former on Sunday.
“If she decides to move up, I would love to go into 1500 metres thinking I can win it, and being a 1:54 800 metre runner, hopefully we’ve put me in a really good position to win 1500s. If she stays around for a few more years it’s tough, so I don’t know.
“We’ll take it year by year, but I am happy that I decided to put all my eggs into the basket for the 800 for the one championships, at least.”
Kipyegon was also the world 5000 metres champion in 2023, as well as the silver medallist at that distance this week in Tokyo and at last summer’s Olympics.
Hodgkinson, assessing Hunter Bell’s own dual-distance prowess after the final, said: “She to me is the best 1500/800 out there in the world. Having her this year as a standard to get back (from injury) really helped me.
“I support her as well. There’s no business there. I’m happy for her, and it’s great for our team.”
Hunter Bell turned full time after collecting bronze on her Olympic debut last summer. Before those Games, the 31-year-old had been working full time in cybersecurity, though her then-employers had granted their rapidly-rising athlete a sabbatical to train for the Games under Trevor Painter and Jenny Meadows, who also oversee Hodgkinson.
Great Britain had only secured three medals before the M11 Track Club holding camp room-mates shared the podium on Sunday, adding even more pressure on the pair.
Even after they made it a slightly more palatable five medals overall, 2025 remained the first time in 22 years Great Britain had walked away from a world championships without a gold.
Hunter Bell added: “I think it’s a lot harder than it looks to come out and do your best and just be hot every single year.
“We obviously had a very good Olympics, it’s just hard. I found this year a lot harder mentally than I found last year.
“Being that underdog last year was just so much more fun. Once you reach the top, for people like Keely, like KJT (2023 world heptathlon champion Katarina Johnson-Thompson, who claimed joint-bronze in Tokyo), the bar is so high.”
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