Georgia Hunter Bell edges out Keely Hodgkinson to British medal double in 800m final at World Athletics Championships

Hunter Bell’s dilemma over which event to target in Tokyo had dominated her thinking in the lead-up to the championships – but ultimately her final decision proved the correct one.

Returning to the event she initially competed in as a child after making impressive progress over the shorter of the middle-distance events this season, the 31-year-old completed a full-circle moment as she achieved back-to-back global podiums.

Hunter Bell has taken the long way round since she contested her first track race 21 years ago, quitting the sport in 2017 before getting back in touch with Painter after rediscovering her love of running during lockdown.

But the former English Schools champion continues to make up for lost time, taking another step on the podium in what is her first year as a full-time athlete after quitting her cybersecurity job following last summer’s Olympics.

Meadows told BBC Sport: “Trevor and I are so proud of both of them. Keely has been our young protege since she was 17 and this is her fifth podium in five successive global champs.

“Georgia is the complete opposite, which is why they are both great role models. She was a child protege but moved away from the sport, and Trevor had always said she was the one that got away.

“We’re so glad she got back in contact at the end of 2022. We always have a private joke about when I asked Trevor who he was on facetime to – he said Georgia Bell and I said ‘well that ship has sailed’.

“It got brought up at her wedding but she does forgive me because ever since I have seen she has what it takes and I have been her biggest supporter ever since.”

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