Latest news with #GeorgiaHunterBell
The Independent
8 hours ago
- Sport
- The Independent
Faith Kipyegon didn't run four minutes for the mile – but this is how she can succeed next time
Georgia Hunter Bell has just finished a jog around the idyllic Tuileries Garden. It's a scorching Friday in the Parisian sun, and the 1,500m Olympic bronze medalist has started to feel the fatigue from last night's run. It was no ordinary run, either, a pacing job that didn't quite reach 800m, an event she has claimed gold in a Diamond League meet already this season. But that searing pace still lingers because Hunter Bell travelled at sub-four minute mile pace, nine seconds faster per mile than her national record pace needed to claim bronze at last year's Paris Olympics in the 1,500m. Her endeavour was all part of Faith Kipyegon and Nike 's audacious attempt to shatter a barrier first transcended by Sir Roger Bannister in 1954, and while more than 2,000 men have followed, no woman has achieved the same feat. Kipyegon was on track at half-way and only faded as the bell approached, slipping back to finish in 4:06.42, 1.22 seconds better than her existing world record but more than six seconds outside her ambitious goal. This mark will not be officially recognised by World Athletics due to the use of 12 pacers, including 10 men, and a pair of unverified Nike super spikes, the Victory Elite FK, built with 3mm more foam to further accentuate a trampoline effect that has revolutionised running in recent years. 'I'm exhausted, but I've proven that it's possible,' Kipyegon, who also wore a special aerodynamic skinsuit with '3D-printed aeronodes,' defiantly declared afterwards. 'It's only a matter of time before I think it comes our way, even if it's not me, it will come one day. 'I will not lose hope. I will still go for it.' It should be noted, for context based on World Athletics Scoring Tables, Kipyegon target, in terms of points, was the equivalent performance to a 9.61 seconds in the men's 100m (Usain Bolt's world record remains 9.58 seconds) or a 3.22:98 men's 1,500m (well clear of Hicham El Guerrouj's 3:26.00). She was not just attempting to go where no woman had gone before. No woman had even considered breaching the four-minute mark. 'Physically it felt really good,' Hunter Bell tells the Independent after practicing in the days before the extravagant event at the Stade Charlety. Hunter Bell was selected, based on height and stride length, to replicate Kipyegon's role in practice alongside the elite men drafted in, including double-Olympic medalist Grant Fisher and Team GB's Elliot Giles. The formation, devised over the last six months in Kenya, shielded Kipyegon from 'turbulence'. 'We were doing 400m reps in 60 seconds per lap pace, but it felt more like 65 seconds for the effort,' she adds. 'So it felt a lot easier than if you were just trying to run a lap on your own. And so it was cool to feel that, I think, also just from kind of an emotional, less tangible standpoint. It felt really nice. 'The guys around you talking about how they can help you out. You just feel really supported. And it really made me think that, yeah, she's obviously much better than I am. So if it felt like that for me, then surely it will feel really good for her. It gave me a lot of faith that she could do it.' Hunter Bell and her fellow Nike athletes were tasked with training twice per day since Sunday, with the team spending each day together, including meals, to build chemistry and cohesion to perfectly execute the plan on Thursday. 'I've never seen Faith like struggle,' Hunter Bell recalls. 'Like every time she races us, be that in an Olympic final, the Diamond League, she's always so clearly ahead and although she's obviously working hard, she seems totally within herself and there's no struggle on her face. 'Yesterday was the first time that I've really seen her hurting, a little bit of form going, a little bit of strain on the face. So that really just put into perspective just how hard of a feat it is. 'So I think, in hindsight, it will now be a case of chipping down [the women's mile world record]. It's not going to go from 4:07 to 3:59, it's going to be chipped away over the years like she's already taken a second and a half off. 'Think about Eliud Kipchoge's 1:59 marathon, that had some failures before it, then they got it right. So I think they'll be able to take away some learnings, then just hope that in the future, they'll be able to bring it down.' Hunter Bell is adamant Kipyegon is still the woman to do it, though a move to the 5,000m next year could derail the three-time Olympic champion's plans. But the 31-year-old revealed she is committed to a future attempt. 'I had a quick chat with her afterwards and said, 'do you think you'll have another go this year?' And she was like, 'probably not this year, probably next year'. It might take another five to 10 years to break the four-minute barrier, but I can see it going down by a second every year.' Kipyegon might still be the dominant force in the 1,500m or mile, but Hunter Bell insists her compatriot Beatrice Chebet, a double-Olympic champion in the 5,000m and 10,000m, could attack the barrier too, harnessing her greater strength. 'I actually don't think [the mile favours a runner with a speed background such as Keely Hodgkinson],' Hunter Bell adds. 'I actually think it's more the other way. I think you have to have a really strong endurance base to be able to do a challenge like that. Having a great kick is amazing. Coming through in two minutes is well within Keely's and my capability, but those two laps make such a difference. 'It's getting into the practice of running 60s consistently versus what Keely can do, running 52-53 seconds per lap. That's amazing speed, but you just can't do four of those back to back. There's just no way.' Nike will be determined in the coming months to make refinements, much like they did between Kipchoge's first attack on the two-hour marathon barrier in Monza in 2017, before returning to Vienna two years later, with tens of thousands of fans on the streets able to witness history. 'I think hosting it in a full stadium is a good idea, maybe at the end of a Diamond League as the final event,' Hunter Bell concludes. 'Then you'll definitely have a sold-out stadium, such as London in a couple of weeks, which is sold out at 60,000. Every bit of noise makes a difference. We really saw that in the Paris Olympic final last year. It was so loud and we ran so fast. So I think that could definitely help.'
USA Today
6 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Best of Olympic track star Georgia Hunter Bell in images
Georgia Hunter Bell was born in France but is now considered an English track and field star. She runs "middle distance" events such as the 800 and 1500 meters. She is already the national indoor champion at 1500, having won the event in 2024 and '25. She captured a bronze medal in the 2024 Olympics in Paris, which was sweet given she was born in that great city. Additionally, Hunter Bell takes part in duathlons, events with a running leg, cycling leg, then a final running leg. When not running, Hunter Bell works for a London firm that studies cyber attacks. 'We use machine learning and AI to plug into organizations and see how they are getting hacked basically," she told the Guardian in 2024. "A lot of times companies come to us after they have a cyber attack, they get funding and need to get something in order to protect themselves. We work with companies all over the world. It's a booming business." Georgia Hunter Bell Georgia Hunter Bell Georgia Hunter Bell Georgia Hunter Bell Georgia Hunter Bell Georgia Hunter Bell Georgia Hunter Bell Georgia Hunter Bell Georgia Hunter Bell Georgia Hunter Bell Georgia Hunter Bell Georgia Hunter Bell Georgia Hunter Bell Georgia Hunter Bell Georgia Hunter Bell Georgia Hunter Bell Georgia Hunter Bell Georgia Hunter Bell Georgia Hunter Bell Georgia Hunter Bell Georgia Hunter Bell
Irish Times
20-06-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
Sarah Healy produces lifetime best to take second in 1,500m at Diamond League in Paris
Another terrific sprint finish by Sarah Healy saw her nail second place in the 1,500 metres at the Meeting de Paris on Friday night, improving her lifetime best to 3:57.15 in the process. On a perfect evening for running inside the Stade Charlety, the eighth stop on the Diamond League circuit, Healy might well have scored another victory too, as Kenya's Nelly Chepchirchir just held on for the win in 3:57.02. Just like she did in winning the European Indoor title over 3,000m last March, Healy bided her time over the last 150 metres, after holding sixth place at the bell. Entering the homestretch in third, she kicked past the top Ethiopian Birke Haylom, but just ran out of track when trying to run down Chepchirchir Healy's time improved her lifetime best of 3:57.46, clocked at the same meeting last year. Only Ciara Mageean's Irish record of 3:55.87 from 2023 is faster, and that may well come under threat before the summer is out. READ MORE It was only Healy's second outdoor 1,500m race this season, after she also produced a magnificent finishing kick to win the 1,500m at the Rome Diamond League a fortnight ago. The 24-year-old had already improved her 3,000m best to 8:27.02 in finishing third in the Rabat Diamond League last month. Haylom held on for third in 3:57.50, with Healy's training partner Georgia Hunter Bell sixth in 3:58.06. Mark English was also back on track just over a week after racing the 800m at the Oslo Diamond League, and the 32-year-old continued his rich vein of form over the distance with a sixth-place finish in 1:43.98 – breaking the 1:44-barrier for only the second time. English did get slightly boxed at the back after the first lap, in another stacked field of 13 runners, moving up five places in the last 200m. Victory on the night went to Mohamed Attaoui from Spain in 1:42.73, just ahead of Josh Hoey from the US, who clocked 1:43.00 – and like English is also coached by Justin Rinaldi. English broke the 1:44 barrier for the first time with his Irish record of 1:43.92 to take the win in Hengelo earlier this month, which smashed his previous Irish record of 1:44.34 which he set in Bydgoszcz, Poland last month. Although Rhasidat Adeleke wasn't racing in Paris, after back-to-back 400m races in Oslo and Stockholm where she finished fourth and sixth respectively, she'll no doubt have watched the Dominican Republic's Marileidy Paulino make her Diamond League season debut. Paulino produced a stunning victory and meeting record time of 48.81 seconds, improving the mark of 49.12 she set here two years ago. The Olympic champion finished strongest of all, getting past her old rival Salwa Eid Naser from Bahrain, second in the Olympics last summer, who clocked 48.85, with newcome Martina Weil from Chile also breaking 50 seconds to nail third in 49.83, a national record. Azeddine Habz also delighted the Paris crowd when winning the 1,500m in a French record of 3:27.49, the top-six all running sub-3:30. Jimmy Gressier followed that with a French record in the 5,000m, running 12:51.59 to finish fourth behind Yomif Kejelcha from Ethiopia, who won in 12:47.84. The World Championships in Tokyo may still be just under three months away, but times are fast heating up.
BBC News
15-06-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Duplantis breaks pole vault record in Stockholm
Armand Duplantis broke the men's pole vault world record for a 12th time with a clearance of 6.28m at the Diamond League meeting in one was extra special for the 25-year-old, however, as it was the first time he had improved the world best in in the United States, Duplantis - who is commonly known by his nickname 'Mondo' - represents his mother's native had already secured victory in the event when he cleared the new record height at the first attempt before removing his vest, celebrating with friends and family, and taking the acclaim of his home before the event,, external double Olympic champion Duplantis said breaking the world record in Stockholm "felt like the only thing missing" and "kind of a thing I can't get off my mind".He first broke the world record, then held by Renaud Lavillenie of France, in February 2020 with a 6.17m clearance in a memorable evening for the home crowd in the Swedish capital, Andreas Almgren set a European record to win the men's 5, was also British success on the track as Georgia Hunter-Bell finished strongly to claim victory in the women's 800m in a time of 1:57.66. Olympic 1500m bronze medallist Hunter-Bell was last with 200m to go but overhauled all of her competitors, including world champion Mary Moraa, with a sensational sprint world indoor champion Amber Anning was third in the women's 400m in a season's best of 50.17 seconds, while Dina Asher-Smith ran 10.93 seconds to finish second behind Olympic champion Julien Alfred in the women's said: "Today was something to ask for, from running in Oslo three days ago, but I travelled well and the body felt good. So to run 10.9 low is really great, and it's very exciting to be getting so close to my PB."British duo Innes Fitzgerald and Hannah Nuttall smashed their personal bests to finish third and fourth respectively in the women's 3,000m, which was won by Australian Linden 19, ran 8:32.90 to beat her fastest mark by more than seven seconds, while 27-year-old Nuttall finished in 8:33.82, more than six seconds quicker than her previous said: "I went into the race with no expectations and I think that is the best way to race. Sometimes I have let the pressure get to me a little bit, but today I was relaxed and I was determined to enjoy it. I absolutely loved every minute of it."This gives me so much confidence going forward. It shows where I belong and hopefully I can get into the big championship races."I am back to training now as it is a long season. I just want to drop the times in the 5,000m and 3,000m and see where it takes me." George Mills was fifth in the men's 1500m, just three days after breaking Sir Mo Farah's British 5,000m record in Oslo."Obviously I was looking for the win, but I came here on the back of a very good 5,000m in Oslo so I did what I came to do, which was to run fast with only a short recovery," said Mills, who finished in 3:32.67, just over a second behind winner Samuel Pihlstrom of Sweden."It worked pretty well until the last lap or so when the legs started to get heavy, but I think it was a good couple of days' work."I now have just a few days to get recovered for Paris on Friday. This is all part of the plan of getting races in a short period of time."Femke Bol of the Netherlands broke her own meeting record to win the women's 400m hurdles in 52.11 seconds, while Kenya's Olympic champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi ran 1:41.95 - the fastest time in the world this year - to win the men's a star-studded final race, Rai Benjamin of the United States got the better of Brazil's Alison dos Santos and Norway's world record holder Karsten Warholm to win the men's 400m hurdles in 46.54 seconds.
The Independent
14-06-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
The key change helping Georgia Hunter Bell step out of Keely Hodgkinson's shadow
Olympic 1500m bronze medalist Georgia Hunter Bell is gearing up for her first Diamond League appearance of the 2025 season in Stockholm on Sunday night. Outside of the distance where she dazzled the Parisian crowds and broke Laura Muir 's British record in the process, Hunter Bell will instead line up for an 800m. The 31-year-old will attack the shorter distance, which has become synonymous with her training partner, and Olympic champion, Keely Hodgkinson. Hunter Bell is joined by compatriot Jemma Reekie to take on 800m world champion and the No 1-ranked athlete Mary Moraa. Hunter Bell's talent in the 1,500m is already well known, but she has been making her mark across the shorter distance over the past year, too. With a PB under her belt from last summer and Hodgkinson sidelined with another injury setback, this could be the season for Hunter Bell to rewrite expectations and step out of Hodgkinson's shadow. Her unconventional journey is one of resilience. Hunter Bell was a high-achieving runner at youth level, but a stagnant period due to injury saw the Briton's passion for the sport dwindle. She took a five-year hiatus after college, pursuing a corporate career in cybersecurity, only to rekindle her love for running during the Covid pandemic. Now a full-time professional track star, she has built a schedule consisting of cross-training, altitude camps and full-time track focus, benefiting from the same infrastructure that has helped Hodgkinson conquer the sport. Team GB's golden girl has already set the bar high, but Hunter Bell seems to thrive on a challenge. The Paris-born runner set an 800m PB of 1:56.28 at the London Diamond League last year, finishing behind just Hodgkinson and Reekie for an all-British podium. This season will be the optimal chance for Hunter Bell to leverage the same mindset that propelled Hodgkinson from a silver medal in Tokyo to the golden crown four years later. Full-time training has allowed her to finally commit to lifting her power on the track. Continuity and consistency over this season will be vital for her to build on last year's explosive breakthrough. After opening up on dealing with body shaming and online abuse following her Olympic fairytale, Hunter Bell has grown mentally stronger and ready to take the next step as a serial medal winner or gold medalist in a global championship. 'I have had to get quite a thick skin quite quickly, ever since last summer,' she said. 'There is a really dark side of social media where people write things about you, your body, how you look, what they think of you, your performance.' Developing a champion's mindset and coming off social media is key as she plans to distance herself from the 'underdog' title. She told PA news agency: 'Everyone else has their expectations and that's great, but I'm more, I don't want to just have one great year and fall off.' She finished third overall on her Grand Slam Track debut two weeks ago and is now considered a top contender for major events. She has also teased a potential event double at the upcoming World Athletics Championships in Tokyo this September. So a strong performance this summer, in both events, could place her firmly in contention to upgrade her Olympic medal at LA2028 and perhaps even challenge Hodgkinson in her preferred event. But to get there, she needs clean execution, tactical maturity, and the mental frame of a winner. If she can put all three together in Stockholm with a maiden Diamond League victory over for grabs, then the M11 Track Club, led by Trevor Painter and Jenny Meadows, could have another superstar on their hands.
