Georgia Hunter Bell pipped training partner and Olympic champion Keely Hodgkinson to an 800 metres silver medal by one one hundredth of a second on the final night of action at the World Athletics championships in Tokyo.
The British duo were in gold and silver medal position — led by Hodgkinson — on the home straight until Kenyan Lilian Odira surged past them both to take gold in a championship-record 1:54.62, leaving the British runners to battle each other for second.
Hodgkinson and Hunter-Bell had to wait before screens inside the stadium showed the latter, who claimed 1500m bronze on her Olympic debut in Paris last summer, had gotten over the line faster by the finest of margins in 1:54.90.
Hunter Bell had debated racing at both distances at these championships before deciding to focus on the 800m, and was even prep camp room-mates with bronze medallist Hodgkinson.
It was nevertheless a brave and determined showing for Hodgkinson, who just last month returned from a 376-day injury-plagued absence after becoming the Olympic champion.
“I thought I had it, but she [Odira] came past. I did my best to hold on,” Hodgkinson told BBC Sport.
“In that last 10m my legs were falling off a little bit because the first lap was so quick. I ran it how I ran it and this is what the result is.”
Hodgkinson added: “I was in it to win it and when you do go for the gold, you do risk coming off the podium, or second or third. I am proud of both of us. We both got a medal.
“It is my third 1:54, so to be consistent through that this year is what I am really happy with. It is not what I came here for, but I can’t be too disappointed.”
Hunter Bell felt her decision not to also compete in the 1500m had paid off.
“I wanted to show what I could do in the 800m and I knew I would have to come into it fresh if I wanted to get a medal,” she said.
“Doing both is so hard. The competition is so good, so I am just really proud I put all my eggs in one basket, and am so happy, the fastest time I have ever run.
Hunter Bell added: “I knew it was going to be fast, so I was just like ‘don’t get dropped’ and try to hang on to kick at the end. It was kind of how I expected it to go.”
