Georgia Hunter Bell may turn to Kelly Holmes for World Championships advice

The Herald Scotland

6 days ago

Holmes famously won both events at the 2004 Olympics in Athens and Hunter Bell, who took bronze in the 1500m in Paris last summer, could be tempted to tackle both distances – pending consultation with the athletics great.
Georgia Hunter Bell is a #LondonDL winner 🎆
She absolutely motors through the final 200m to take the 800m win 🔥#DiamondLeague @_Novuna pic.twitter.com/TYYbxfg4KS
— British Athletics (@BritAthletics) July 19, 2025
Hunter Bell said: 'I think in May, Trevor (Painter) and Jen (Meadows, coaches) just noticed that I was responding a lot better to the 800m training, so it's something that we're paying attention to.
'You've obviously got to just look strategically at the events. The 1500 has got even faster than last year – I didn't think that was possible – but it has again, whereas the 800 at the moment is not as fast as it was last year. If you're trying to get a medal, what is actually the best thing to do?
'It is technically an option because the schedule is actually quite generous for it. There's proper days off, one event completes before the second starts, it's not like switching in between the two. But I just think it's been really hard and you might stuff your chances at both.
'I might reach out to Kelly Holmes and see what she thinks because a lot of people can have their opinion, there's very few that have actually done it and done well in both and I'd like to see what she has to say about it.
'I think I can decide after the champs (next month's UK Athletics Championships). But I would need to do the 800 metres at the British champs to earn my spot.'
Reigning 1500m world champion Josh Kerr vowed the title will stay in Britain despite suffering defeat at the hands of Phanuel Kipkosgei Koech, clocking a season's best of three mins 29.37 secs but ultimately falling short.
He said: 'In general I really liked how I felt in the whole race. I felt like I made a solid move at 250, I just did not have my head on straight with 200 to go, and I let them go a little bit.
'The power was not quite there but it is not far away. But we have not ran a race like that for a while. To be running 3.29 at this point of the season is encouraging.
'I can make a big jump in the next couple of months, we've not got a bunch of time but we're in a solid spot. The title lives here and it will continue to live here for the next year.'
Kerr confirmed he will race the 5000m at the national championships as he is already qualified for the 1500m in Tokyo.
Great Britain's men's 4x400m relay team (left to right) Mark Richardson, Jamie Baulch, Roger Black, Iwan Thomas and Mark Hylton) received upgraded gold medals in London on Saturday (PA)
Roger Black, Iwan Thomas, Jamie Baulch, Mark Richardson and Mark Hylton were presented with their upgraded gold medals for the 4x400m relay at the Athens World Championships in 1997 in front of the London Stadium crowd.
The title was originally won by the USA, who were disqualified following an anti-doping violation by Antonio Pettigrew.
Morgan Lake in the women's high jump and Charlie Dobson in the men's 400m were other home winners in Diamond League events, while Ben Sandilands triumphed in the men's 1500m para final.
The women's 100m para contest went to Sophie Hahn and the men's equivalent saw Zak Skinner shade Thomas Young in a photo finish.