Georgia Hunter Bell and Keely Hodgkinson should accept silver and bronze as Lilian Odira claims gold in Tokyo; Hodgkinson had led for a lot of the race however was overtaken within the closing levels; Odira set new World Championship report
Final Up to date: 21/09/25 12:35pm
Nice Britain’s Keely Hodgkinson and Georgia Hunter Bell win bronze and silver in World Athletics Championships 800m
Workforce GB pair Georgia Hunter Bell and Keely Hodgkinson completed second and third in a high-quality ladies’s 800m ultimate on the World Championships.
Lilian Odira took the gold medal, overtaking the British pair on the final second in Tokyo.
Hodgkinson led the race for lengthy spells and a GB one-two regarded on the playing cards till Odira blazed previous the pair in 1:54.62, a brand new championship report.
Hunter Bell ran an excellent private better of 1:54.90 to beat Olympic champion Hodgkinson by 0.01 seconds.
It was the primary time a British pair have received two medals in the identical occasion of the World Championships for 18 years.
Hodgkinson and Hunter Bell needed to wait earlier than screens contained in the stadium confirmed the latter, who claimed 1500m bronze on her Olympic debut in Paris final summer season, had received over the road quicker by the best of margins.
Hunter Bell had debated racing at each distances at these championships earlier than deciding to give attention to the 800m, and was even prep camp room-mates with bronze medallist Hodgkinson.
It was nonetheless a courageous and decided exhibiting for Hodgkinson, who simply final month returned from a 376-day injury-plagued absence after turning into the Olympic champion.
Hodgkinson: I believed I had received it
“I felt pretty good at the start and it was quick out there and a bit of tussling and surging that might have wasted a bit of energy but I was in it to win it, and when you go in for gold, you risk dropping off the podium or coming second or third,” Keely Hodgkinson advised BBC Sport.
“I’m happy for the both of us, we both got a medal, my third 1:54 and to be consistent like that, especially after the year I’ve had, it’s not what I came here for but I can’t be too disappointed.
“I believed I had it. However [Lilian] Odira ran previous and I did my greatest. The final 10m my legs had been falling off. I ran it how I ran it and that is what the result’s.”
Hunter Bell: I’m so happy
“I wished to point out what I can do within the 800m and I knew I needed to come into it contemporary if I wished to get a medal and doing each [800m and 1500m] can be too laborious,” Georgia Hunter Bell told BBC Sport. “The competitors is so good.
“I’m so happy, the fastest time I’ve ever run. I knew it would be fast from seeing the girls in the field but I was just like ‘don’t get dropped’ and try to hang on to get the kick in the end.”
