The British woman claimed the world title on Sunday with a British record of 3:58.53 as Spain’s Mariano Garcia won the men’s metric mile.
British fans ran into a nervous few minutes at the World Indoor Championships on Sunday night when Georgia Hunter Bell found herself seconds behind runaway leader Birk Hailom midway through the women’s 1500m final.
But there were slight sighs of relief at the bell as Hunter Bell caught and passed the Ethiopian before taking the final lap in a British record 3:58.53 to beat Laura Muir in 3:59.58.
“This time last year I was working in tech sales and now I’m a world champion.” he said
Hailom finished fifth in 4:01.34 with Australia’s Jess Hull taking silver in an Oceania record 3:59.45 with Nikki Hiltz of the USA third in a PB of 3:59.68.
Such was the standard. Agathe Guillemeau set a French record of 3:59.71, but was only fourth.
Should we have ever doubted Hunter Bell?
“I’m very in tune with how the pace feels when it comes to four runs, and I felt like he could come back to me,” Hunter Bell said.
By the time Hailom crossed the 800m in 2:05.30, faster than the men’s race earlier in the evening, he already had a lead of more than three seconds over Hunter Bell and the main pack.
In the 1000m, Hailom was clocked at 2:38.73 and his lead was shrinking slightly as Hunter Bell took charge of pulling the pack back.
Hunter Bell took a perfectly timed lead, passing a tiring Highlom at the bell before storming home in emphatic fashion.
“It’s such a relief because I felt like I was physically fit,” Hunter Bell said, “but mentally it was tough to come in as the favorite and win.”
“I’m really proud of myself because I was really calm and composed. I wondered why I was getting stressed. I know I can do it. I just have to commit.”
In the men’s 1,500m, there was a surprise as Spain’s Mariano Garcia almost ran the entire way to beat world outdoor champion Isaac Nader of Portugal in 3:39.63.
Garcia cruised through the 800m in 2:05.58 but then picked up the pace and held off Nader in the final lap as the Portuguese runner clocked 3:40.06 with Australia’s Adam Spencer third.
