The Briton’s 2024 season included a national 1500m record and an Olympic bronze medal in Paris
Georgia Bell began her year by sending an email to:
At the end of it, in his 27th race of the season, he completed the 800m/1500m double in the Diamond League final in Brussels.
During the campaign, Bell became British indoor and outdoor 1500m champion, secured a European silver medal and went on to win Olympic bronze in a British record 3:52.61.
Now she is an accomplished runner in both 800m and 1500m races. Bell is also fourth on Great Britain’s all-time list for two spins; it was no surprise to see the Brit double up in her final competition of the season in the Belgian capital.
The 30-year-old clocked 1:57.94 in the 800m to finish second behind world champion Mary Mora, before running 3:58.95 in the 1500m a day later.
Speaking AW: At the Memorial Van Damme, Bell couldn’t believe the season he had.
Georgia Bell in 2008 (Mark Shearman)
“It was just absolutely crazy,” he said. I am so proud of the season and there is so much work to get to this point. It’s not even about the results, it’s just about getting into the Diamond League. I didn’t even have an agent or a brand sponsoring me. What appears to be an overnight success has been years in the making, and that includes the political business of pushing for meetings.
“With every step I take, the goalposts change. You’re always told that your best years as an athlete are in your young 20s. So I thought that going back into a lie later would mean it would be impossible to run faster, especially over shorter distances like the 800m. Now I’m in it, I don’t think it’s right.”
Hers is a tale of extraordinary perseverance, self-reliance and the confidence of those who believe in the bigger picture.
A brilliant youngster, Bell was the 2008 English Schools 800m champion and the future looked bright.
However, injuries sustained while studying at the University of California made him lose his passion for the sport.
Inspired by the Tokyo Olympics, she decided to give running another shot, and a 16:14 parkrun two years ago proved to Bell that she’s got her work cut out for her in the sport.
As a result, he called his old coach, Trevor Painter, and the rest is history.
Georgia Bell (Getty)
The artist coaches the M11 Track Club with wife Jenny Meadows and the pair helped Keely Hodgkinson become Olympic champion in the 800m, Bell claim bronze in the 1500m and Lewis Davey to bronze in the men’s 4x400m.
“I think my journey has shown that just because you’ve had a bad patch, it doesn’t mean you can’t be good again,” Bell said. AW:. “As I’m now back to running for fun, it means I want to compete as much as I can and I love it. I want to say yes to every opportunity.
“I have nothing to lose in sports. Every race I run, I think there are no limits. I just don’t really know where I’m at, and it could all be taken away by an injury or something like that.”
He added about the reason for calling Painter. “I just wanted to get back to racing and follow the program. It was like I was going to run and exercise on my own. That’s where park time came from. I wanted a coach I could trust and who would support me. I really found it in Trevor and Jenny’s training group.
“I consider them my second parents and they will come to my wedding. I’m just an example of how they train, but just look at Keely and then you have people like Ava Lloyd and Sarah Healy who are also in the group and are now achieving amazing things. If I couldn’t be on their team, I wouldn’t want to be in track and field.”
Georgia Bell (Getty)
After an incredible four months as a professional runner, Bell, who worked 10 hours a day in cyber security, has now turned off the laptop and turned to athletics full-time.
One athlete who greatly inspires Bell is Faith Kipyegon, who broke her own 1,500m record in July with a time of 3:49.04 and then became a three-time Olympic 1,500m champion a month later.
Both Kipyegon and Bell stood on the same podium in Paris and the Briton believes runners can now hold their place at the sport’s elite level for much longer.
“If you look at the 1500m for example, Faith is 30 years old and has been in the top five at the British Championships,” he said. “It shows that you can still have these huge accomplishments.”
READ MORE. Ingebrigtsen wins 1500m in Brussels
Bell added about his medal and record in Paris. “The Olympics took a while to process and I’ve been following the racing a lot. I think it’s finally sunk in now. On the one hand I can’t believe I won a medal and it’s such a great achievement, but on the other hand it feels like I’ve been running my whole life. Running has been a big part of me since I was 10.
» Subscribe to AW Magazine herecheck out our new podcast! here or subscribe to our digital archive of back issues from 1945 to the present day here
The post Georgia Bell. “I have nothing to lose in sports.” appeared first AW:.
