The Olympic 1500m bronze medallist will aim for her first international title in Apeldoorn after a strong start to the indoor season
A year ago, Georgia Hunter Bell was just at the beginning of her breakthrough year, securing the British indoor 1500m title, which led her to a fourth-place finish at the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow. Fast forward to today, and she’s in her first full year as a professional athlete, with her sights set on European Indoor Championship gold in Apeldoorn (March 6-9).
At those World Indoor Championships, the 31-year-old delivered a performance which shocked everyone. After crossing the finish line to a cheering home crowd, commentator Steve Cram said, “Georgia Bell must know that if she goes full-time, she’ll be able to make the Olympics.”
Those words were exactly what Hunter Bell needed to hear to make a pivotal decision in her career. Just one week later, she requested time off from her cyber security job to focus on making the Olympic team. Cram’s comment made it easier for her to take the leap, as her colleagues had all tuned in to watch her race, with all the details on how to watch listed in her out of office email, and heard his encouragement.
Georgia Bell (Getty)
That moment marked the beginning of her professional journey. Hunter Bell, who trains under BBC Sports Personality Coaches of the Year Trevor Painter and Jenny Meadows, not only made the Olympics but also earned a 1500m bronze medal in Paris, finishing behind Faith Kipyegon and Jessica Hull. She also set a new British record of 3:52.62.
Winning that Olympic bronze medal was a defining moment and she knew it was time to fully commit to her athletic career. Her departure from work became a topic of speculation amongst her colleagues, who even held a sweepstake on whether she would leave after her sabbatical. Those who predicted her exit were the winners.
“Last year exceeded our expectations,” said Hunter Bell. “I knew that if I gave it a go, if I stopped working full time, I knew there’d be an improvement. But we weren’t expecting to run as fast as the times that we were. It gives me motivation. I’m hopeful but I know I need to prove myself all over again [this year] and I don’t want to rest on last year. I want to make sure that I’m pushing myself on and doing even better.”
She added: “After Paris we saw how much of a difference it [going full-time] made. That was the point where I thought I owed it to myself to…
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