Hunter Bell advances easily in Poland, while Gemma Rickey is a near miss for the final.
Georgia Hunter Bell put in a composed and tactical performance to open her campaign at the World Indoor Championships in Torun on March 20, going through her 1500m heat in 4:12.09.
Instead of adopting his usual front-running style, the Briton opted for patience, settling at the back of the field in the early stages. It was a smart move in a closely packed race where jolts and contact were frequent among those at the front.
The pace was slow from the start and neither athlete wanted to take control. Bell went 800m in 2:24.80, staying out of trouble before walking.
She cruised to victory, finishing ahead of Australia’s Jess Hull (4:12.45) and the United States’ Gracie Morris (4:12.57), with all three through to Sunday’s final at 17:12 GMT.
Bell then addressed the race. “I’m happy to go through, but me and Jess (Hull) were saying at the end that 1500m is not a fun way to run. I felt like I was running and then I looked at my watch and realized I was actually running so something bad was going to happen.
“I did a bit of a ‘Laura Muir’ thing and hung back, which is not my usual thing, and it’s nice, I can see why she does it. I feel like I didn’t waste much energy at all and I felt good about just coming home.
“Last year I learned that you don’t have to win big. You just have to win if you’re trying to win.”
While Bell progressed comfortably, it was far more disappointing for Britain’s Gemma Rickey, who narrowly missed out on qualifying.
Ricky finished fourth in 4:11.61, just 0.20 seconds out of the automatic spot, despite posting the fourth-fastest time of all heats. Caught in a similarly physical race, he was slowly forced into the early lead before the pace picked up sharply in the closing laps, leaving him with a chance to react in time.
“It was a mess. I obviously didn’t want to be at the front, but I accidentally put myself there. I know I’m in much better shape than that and my training has shown that. It was a common thread, but I just have to be patient.
“I was sometimes bumped, hit, and hit. I had to keep myself on my feet, but it’s 1500m for you.”
Birke Hylom (4:10.66), Klaudia Kazimerska (4:11.33) and Susan Ejore-Sanders (4:11.41) came out of that heat.
Attention then turned to the men’s 1500m, where world champion Isaac Nader was prominent in action. The Portuguese was safely through to the final in 3:43.58 ahead of Sweden’s Samuel Pihlström who won in 3:43.38.
Great Britain and Northern Ireland were represented by Jack Higgins and debutant James McMurray. McMurray finished seventh in 3:42.51 and Higgins also placed seventh in her race with a time of 3:44.75.
