Georgia Hunter Bell 2024-2026
The last two years have been a whirlwind for Georgia Hunter Bell.
The story of Georgia Bell is remarkable. A talented teenager – the highest-ranked 800m runner for Under 15 and Under 17 in the UK – she got a scholarship to the University of California in Berkeley. Looking back, she has two main memories – being injured a lot and being unable to improve her PR. With hindsight, she thinks “the high mileage philosophy out there didn’t work too well for me,” adding, “Once I finished my collegiate career out there, I just stopped running completely. Never thought I would ever get back on a track ever again”. She graduated in Politics and developed a career in online security. She became a recreational cyclist.
From 2018 to 2021, according to her World Athletics page, she ran 7 times, running 4:48 for 1500. In 2022, she ran six times over varied distances from 1500 to 5K. Running UK Park Runs – a Saturday morning 5K fun run for runners of all standards – began to raise questions in her head. She contacted her old coach, Trevor Painter (whose group includes Keely Hodgkinson). The progress she has made is remarkable. She described her first year back with Trevor as “I just saw a really big impact very quickly”.
Read a fuller account of Georgia’s development at
The amazing story of Georgia Bell – runblogrun
In 2024, she ran in the GB Indoor champs – she won it in 4:09.66. She was selected for the World Indoors and came fourth (4:03.47). Even then, I remember a highly respected British athletics coach telling me that she had no chance of making the Olympic team. She did!
In the summer of 2024, she finished second in the 1500m at the European Championships and then third in the Olympic 1500m final in 3:52.61. In the Diamond League Finals, she was second in the 800 and seventh in the 1500, the following day.
In 2025, she won two Diamond Leagues, won at Millrose, was second in the Diamond League finals, and was third in the World Indoors – alternating between 800 and 1500. In the Tokyo World Championships, she cheekily chose to run an 800 against her training partner Keely Hodkinson. Lilian Odira (Kenya) was the surprise winner, with Georgia second in (1:54.90) and Keely third, one hundredth of a second behind.
This year, Georgia opted for the 1500 at the World Indoors in Torun, winning comfortably in 3:58.53, leaving the 800 to Keely and giving coach Trevor Painter a double victory to celebrate! In fact, so far this year, she has run five times in four countries. winning every time.
Remember, too, that it is only March, and for an English athlete there are the Commonwealth Games, the European Championship, and the Diamond League circuit to come, as well as more mountains to climb. Watch this space!
