Georgia Bell (born 17 October 1993) is an English track and field athlete who competes as a middle distance runner, and in the duathlon. In 2024, she won a bronze medal at the 2024 Summer Olympics in the 1500 metres, running a new national record time. That year, she also won the silver medal at the 2024 European Athletics Championships and became British national champion, indoors and outdoors, in the 1500 metres.[2]
_2024.jpg) Bell in 2024 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| Nationality | British | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 17 October 1993 Paris, France[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Athletics | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Event(s) | Middle distance, Duathlon | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Achievements and titles | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Olympic finals | 2024 Paris 1500 m,  Bronze | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal bests | 800m: 1:56.28 (London, 2024) 1500m: 3:52.61 NR (Paris, 2024) 3000m: 8:42.16 (Val-de-Reuil, 2024) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Early life
editBell was a high-achieving junior competitor, winning the English Schools title at under-15 level over 800 metres, and clocking a time of 2:08.81, which placed her eighth on the UK all-time list. She also won silver in the same championships as an under-17 in 2009. She attended Cardinal Vaughan Memorial School and studied geography at the University of Birmingham.[3] In 2015, after winning the BUCS (British Universities & Colleges Sport) indoor 800 metres title and silver at the England Athletics Under-23 Championships, she started at University of California, Berkeley.[4]
Career
editA Shaftesbury Barnet Harriers athlete,[5] Bell returned to Britain from the United States, becoming a training partner of Keely Hodgkinson, guided by Jenny Meadows and Trevor Painter.[6] In April 2023, she won the Duathlon World Championships in the female 30-34 age group, in Ibiza.[7][8]
In 2023, she improved her personal bests over 1500m, 3000m and 5000m on the track, and set a new road 10k personal best in Telford, in December 2023.[9]
In January 2024, Bell ran a new personal best over 1500 metres, running 4:03.54 in winning the World Athletics Indoor Tour Bronze event in Dortmund.[10] The following week, Bell beat pre-race favourite Sembo Almayew for victory over 3000m in Val-de-Reuil in another lifetime best time of 8:42.16.[11] In February 2024, she lowered her 1500m personal best to 4:03.22 in Stockholm.[12] On 18 February 2024, she won the final at the 2024 British Indoor Athletics Championships in Birmingham of the 1500 metres to become British indoor champion.[13][14]
She was selected to compete for Britain at the 2024 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Glasgow.[15] She qualified for the final of the women's 1500 metres race, with a time of 4:04.39. She finished fourth in the final with a time of 4:03.47.[16]
In May 2024, she finished sixth in the 1500 metres at the 2024 Doha Diamond League in a time of 4:03.72.[17] That month she also ran a personal best 800 metres time of 1:59.93 in Andújar.[18] Bell ran a 4:00.41 personal best for the 1500m at the 2024 Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Oregon.[19]
Selected to run the 1500 metres for Britain at the 2024 European Athletics Championships in Rome, she won the silver medal.[20][21] Later that month, she won the 1500 metres at the 2024 British Athletics Championships in Manchester.[22]
Her place at the 2024 Summer Olympics was officially confirmed when Team GB named their athletics team on 5 July 2024.[23] A few days later she set a 3:56.54 personal best in the 1500 metres at the 2024 Meeting de Paris, to go No.2 on the UK all-time rankings, and set an English national record.[24] On 20 July 2024, she improved her 800m personal best to 1:56.28 at the London Diamond League.[25] At the 2024 Paris Olympics, Bell won a bronze medal in the women's 1500 m. To do so, she broke Laura Muir's British record, running a time of 3:52.61.[26][27] In September 2024, she finished second in the 800 metres at the Diamond League final in Brussels, and finished seventh in the 1500 metres at the same event. She later announced that she was turning professional rather than return to cyber security job after her sabbatical.[28]
Personal life
editShe previously worked for a London-based firm that studies cyber attacks.[29] She is the daughter of political journalist Andy Bell and Angela Bell, a school PE teacher. She has two sisters.[30][31][32]
References
edit- ^ Collett, Jasmine (Aug 5, 2024). "Georgia Bell: "I was born in Paris so it's meant to be"". athletics weekly. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
- ^ "Georgia Bell". World Athletics. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
- ^ Moss, Emily (March 16, 2015). "Success rings again for Georgia Bell". Athletics Weekly. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
- ^ "Track & Field Announces Full Incoming Class". Calbears.com. 10 August 2015. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
- ^ "GB Star Laura Muir Smashes Track Record In Cardiff Visit". Dai-Sport. 19 December 2023. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
- ^ "Müller steals the show with a breakthrough 6.81m long jump in Dortmund". European Athletics. 21 January 2024. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
- ^ "Results: 2023 World Triathlon Duathlon Championships Ibiza 30-34 Female AG". Triathlon.org. 30 April 2023. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
- ^ Cernuda, Olalla (30 April 2023). "Ibiza Multisport Championships: Day 3". Triathlon.org. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
- ^ Rhodes, James (10 December 2023). "Brilliant Brits in Brussels – Weekend Round Up". Fast Running. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
- ^ "Alfred and Adeleke among winners in Albuquerque". World Athletics. 20 January 2024. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
- ^ Bell, Stephen (28 January 2024). "Caudery vaults to a world leading mark of 4.83m in Val-de-Reuil". European Athletics. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
- ^ "European U20 champion Furlani opens with 8.08m in Stockholm". European Athletics. 3 February 2024. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
- ^ Henderson, Jason (February 18, 2024). "Jemma Reekie sends a message to World Indoor rivals". Athletics Weekly. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
- ^ "Results UK Athletics Indoor Championships 2024". Watch Athletics. February 18, 2023. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
- ^ "Great Britain and Northern Ireland Squad Selected for Home World Athletics Indoor Champs". British Athletics. 19 February 2024. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
- ^ "Women's 1500m Results - World Athletics Indoor Championships 2024". Watch Athletics. 1 March 2024. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
- ^ Collett, Jasmine (May 10, 2024). "Daryll Neita and Molly Caudery in winning form in Doha". Athletics Weekly. Retrieved 12 May 2024.
- ^ "Meeting Jaén Paraiso Interior 2024 women's 800 metres". World Athletics. 17 May 2024. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
- ^ Henderson, Jason (May 26, 2024). "Josh Kerr defeats Ingebrigtsen in a British mile record in Eugene". Athletics Weekly. Retrieved 26 May 2024.
- ^ "KATARINA JOHNSON-THOMPSON NAMED IN STRONG GB & NI TEAM FOR EUROPEANS ROME 2024". British Athletics. 28 May 2024. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
- ^ Ingle, Sean (9 June 2024). "Dina Asher-Smith powers to 100m gold for first major title in five years". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
- ^ Bloom, Ben (30 June 2024). "17-year-old Phoebe Gill 'in a dream' after storming to place in Olympic team". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 June 2024.
- ^ "TEAM GB ATHLETICS SQUAD CONFIRMED FOR PARIS 2024". GB Athletics. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
- ^ Henderson, Jason (July 7, 2024). "World records for Yaroslava Mahuchikh and Faith Kipyegon in Paris". Athletics Weekly. Retrieved 8 July 2024.
- ^ Henderson, Jason (July 20, 2024). "Keely Hodgkinson and Matt Hudson-Smith in record-breaking form in London". Athletics Weekly. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
- ^ "Georgia Bell claims stunning bronze as Faith Kipyegon makes 1500m history". The Independent. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
- ^ "Bell's brilliant bronze and relay stars boost GB medals haul". BBC Sport. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
- ^ "Parkrun to podium – now Georgia Bell quits her job to focus on running". The Times. 15 September 2024. Retrieved 12 October 2024.
- ^ Adams, Tim (17 September 2024). "Georgia Bell: "I've got nothing to lose in the sport"". Athletics Weekly. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
- ^ Kelly, Guy (22 June 2024). "'I did a Parkrun in 16 minutes 8 seconds – and now I could be heading to the Olympics'". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 23 June 2024.
- ^ Wilson, Jeremy (28 February 2024). "From Parkrun to Paris: British athlete, 30, targets Olympics after stunning run in Bushy Park". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
- ^ Sean, Ingle (28 February 2024). "Georgia Bell: from AI and parkrun to a Team GB place, and the Olympics?". theguardian.com. Retrieved 1 March 2024.