Georgia Hunter Bell Reveals New Strategy in Bid to Floor ‘Unbeatable’ Faith Kipyegon

Olympics 1,500m bronze medalist Georgia Hunter Bell has opened up on a new race strategy that she is getting used to as she looks to succeed on track.

Hunter Bell has had some tough battles on track in 800m, 1,500m and 3,000m but she is yet to win a gold medal at a major championship.

The best so far has been silver in 800m and 1,500m at the World and European Championships respectively while she has an Olympics bronze and a similar medal from the World Indoor Championships in 1,500m.

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At 32, Hunter Bell is entering the twilight years of her career and knows she needs new tactics to emerge victorious, having played second fiddle to the indefatigable Faith Kipyegon, considered the greatest 1,500m runner ever.

Hunter Bell had a fruitful weekend when she won the INIT Indoor Meeting Karlsruhe, Germany, the fifth World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold, on Sunday when she won the 1,500m in a world-leading time of 4:00.04.

The British runner followed the pacemaker through 800m in 2:08.60 before taking control of the race with Ethiopia’s Birke Haylom remaining within striking distance for much of the second half, but Bell’s decisive finishing speed – capped by a 28.82-second final lap – secured victory in a world-leading 4:00.04, just 0.2 shy of the indoor PB she clocked when earning world indoor bronze last year.

Haylom finished second in 4:00.88, while European indoor champion Agathe Guillemot set a French short-track record of 4:02.12 in third.

“I was trying to look up at the screen to see what's going on, but I wanted to try to lead the whole race,” said Hunter Bell told World Athletics. “When the pacemaker dropped out, I tried to just hold that position.”

She then revealed what new strategy she has been working on which she hopes to put to test at the World Indoor Championships in Kujawy Pomorze, Poland next month.

“I'm getting used to frontrunning, it's a new thing for me; I wanted to practice something different,” she added. “I wanted to get the world lead, I wanted to try to go sub-4:00 and win. So I achieved two out of three: I won and got the world lead.”

Hunter Bell and Kipyegon will likely renew their rivalry in the Diamond League after she is done with the World Indoors even where she is looking for gold after securing a bronze last year.