Georgia Hunter Bell Confirms Friendship With Keely Hodgkinson Remained Strong After Tokyo 800m Battle

Georgia Hunter Bell has reflected on how her friendship with Keely Hodgkinson has stayed solid despite their intense rivalry on the track.

Georgia Hunter Bell and Keely Hodgkinson, close friends and training partners, competed in the men’s 800m final at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Japan, and it was the former who finished ahead of the Olympic champion.

A traditional 1500m runner who even picked a bronze medal in the women’s 1500m at the Paris Olympic Games, Georgia Hunter Bell explained that lining up with Keely Hodgkinson and beating her was not weird at all.

The women’s 800m final was won by Lilian Odira, who obliterated the 42-year-old record of 1:54.68 set by Czech legend Jarmila Kratochvilova in 1983.

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Georgia Hunter Bell finished second in 1:54.90 as Olympic 800m champion Keely Hodgkinson rounded up the podium in a time of 1:54.91.

Georgia Hunter Bell on Competing Against Keely Hodgkinson

Georgia Hunter Bell explained that despite competing against the former world 800m bronze medallist in the final in Tokyo, their relationship remained unaffected.

She said they share a strong friendship off the track, having lunch together on race day, and spending time regularly.

She disclosed that during their short training stints in South Africa, Keely Hodgkinson usually hosts her. However, once on the start line, both believe they could win and focus fully on the competition.

“Yeah, it's an interesting situation, I understand. But for us, it just works really well. We're very good friends off the track. You know, we had lunch together on the finals day,” Georgia Hunter Bell said in an interview with Talksport Women’s Football.

“I'm staying at her house when we go to South Africa for training in a couple of weeks. I was with her yesterday. So, we have a really nice off-track relationship, but obviously, when we line up on the start line, every top athlete believes they can win, and she'll have definitely been thinking that that day, and I was as well. And so, it's these big moments where you have to really just believe in yourself. So, it's a little bit different.”

Georgia Hunter Bell shared that while she usually competes in the 1500m, she has recently begun focusing more on the 800m.

She expressed excitement for her training group, M11, noting how special it was to have two of their athletes share the podium in the same event at the World Athletics Championships.

Georgia Hunter Bell added that achieving a British 2–3 finish for the first time in 18 years was a proud moment for the UK and hoped it would inspire more enthusiasm. She also hinted at staying in the 800m for longer.

“You know, I usually do the 1500 meters and this year I've been crossing over into the 800 a bit more. But it's an exciting thing, I think more than anything, for us as a team, for M11, our training group,” she said.

“The idea of getting two athletes on the podium was just the coolest thing and for us to do a British 2-3 that's the first time that that's happened in 18 years where you've had two British athletes on the podium together so hopefully something that the UK can get really excited about and we'll be racing each other for the next few years.”

Following her performance in Tokyo, Georgia Hunter Bell showcased her ability to balance fierce competition with genuine friendship between herself and Keely Hodgkinson.