Hunter Bell edges out Hodgkinson as GB win 800m silver and bronze

Georgia Hunter Bell led Olympic champion Keely Hodgkinson to a British badge double successful nan world 800m last - but their bid for a stunning one-two was spoiled by Kenya's Lilian Odira successful Tokyo.

Hunter Bell continued her fairytale return to nan athletics she had discontinue for 5 years by edging training partner Hodgkinson to second, 0.28 seconds down Odira who claimed golden successful a title grounds 1 infinitesimal 54.62 seconds.

While Hodgkinson, 23, had group her sights connected a first world title pursuing successive silvers earlier her triumph astatine Paris 2024, bronze represented a singular accomplishment astatine nan extremity of a play devastated by wounded setbacks.

Hunter Bell upgraded her Olympic bronze badge successful a individual champion clip of 1:54.90 - a specified 1 hundredth of a 2nd up of training partner and bully friend Hodgkinson.

The 2 medals took Great Britain and Northern Ireland's wide tally to 5 connected nan past time of nan championships, but that last full represented nan aforesaid arsenic Doha successful 2019 and their lowest since Helsinki successful 2005, erstwhile they won three.

Hodgkinson and Hunter Bell had some spoken earlier nan last astir their ambitions to go nan first British athletes to execute a one-two astatine a World Championships since Christine Ohuruogu and Nicola Sanders successful Japan 18 years ago.

Both coached by husband-and-wife business Trevor Painter and Jenny Meadows, nan brace trained together, roomed together astatine nan British team's holding camp, and person performed drills together successful nan corridors of nan squad edifice to flight nan Tokyo heat.

But connected Sunday they became golden badge rivals and would extremity up locked together - almost inseparable - arsenic they threw themselves crossed nan line.

Ultimately, it was Hunter Bell - having had a afloat play to build towards this infinitesimal - who was capable to summon nan last effort required for metallic aft Odira had made her measurement past successful nan closing stages to execute her first world badge of immoderate colour.

Hodgkinson told BBC Sport: "I'm happy for nan some of us, we some sewage a medal. It's my 3rd 1:54 [since returning to action] and to beryllium accordant for illustration that, particularly aft nan twelvemonth I've had, it's not what I came present for but I can't beryllium excessively disappointed."

Great Britain caput coach Paula Dunn later told media Hodgkinson had been sick pinch a tummy bug successful nan build-up to nan final.

Hunter Bell said: "I'm truthful happy, nan fastest clip I've ever run. I knew it would beryllium accelerated from seeing nan girls successful nan section but I was conscionable for illustration 'don't get dropped, effort to bent connected to get nan footwear successful nan end'."

While Hodgkinson only has a desire to beryllium number 1 aft establishing herself arsenic Olympic champion, this was a bronze badge which, successful nan context, was worthy its weight successful gold.

Against each odds, aft enduring a profoundly challenging twelvemonth some physically and emotionally, Hodgkinson has travel backmost from a 376 time hold to make her front arsenic Olympic champion pinch her 5th successive world podium.

After a knee wounded sustained earlier nan Olympic last past August group her backmost complete nan winter, 2 torn hamstrings kept her retired of action until conscionable 5 weeks earlier nan championships.

The second, a people 3 tear of nan correct hamstring incurred aft her backmost tightened during nan eight-hour information travel to cod her MBE from Windsor Castle, put her hopes of moreover making nan commencement statement successful Tokyo successful jeopardy.

There was only clip for her to title doubly successful August earlier launching her bid for world glory, nan world-leading clip which she produced successful her connection comeback conscionable 5 weeks agone had positioned her arsenic favourite for gold.

For a while, Hodgkinson struggled to watch different group sprint. According to Meadows, location have, understandably, been much tears "than ever before".

But, done her lengthy layoffs from nan way she took nan opportunity to rebuild coagulated foundations successful nan gym, pinch her accrued spot and powerfulness reflected successful lifting individual bests. Within her group, she was nicknamed 'Keely 2.0'.

While this was not nan aureate reward she yet sought, aft announcing her return by mounting nan fastest clip of nan year, she was still capable to observe pinch Hunter Bell astatine nan segment of her breakthrough Olympic metallic arsenic a teen 4 years ago.

Hunter Bell's dilemma complete which arena to target successful Tokyo had dominated her reasoning successful nan lead-up to nan championships - but yet her last determination proved nan correct one.

Returning to nan arena she initially competed successful arsenic a kid aft making awesome advancement complete nan shorter of nan middle-distance events this season, nan 31-year-old completed a full-circle infinitesimal arsenic she achieved back-to-back world podiums.

Hunter Bell has taken nan agelong measurement information since she contested her first way title 21 years ago, quitting nan athletics successful 2017 earlier getting backmost successful touch pinch Painter aft rediscovering her emotion of moving during lockdown.

But nan erstwhile English Schools champion continues to dress up for mislaid time, taking different measurement connected nan podium successful what is her first twelvemonth arsenic a full-time jock aft quitting her cybersecurity occupation pursuing past summer's Olympics.

Meadows told BBC Sport: "Trevor and I are truthful proud of some of them. Keely has been our young protege since she was 17 and this is her 5th podium successful 5 successive world champs.

"Georgia is nan complete opposite, which is why they are some awesome domiciled models. She was a kid protege but moved distant from nan sport, and Trevor had ever said she was nan 1 that sewage away.

"We're truthful gladsome she sewage backmost successful interaction astatine nan extremity of 2022. We ever person a backstage joke astir erstwhile I asked Trevor who he was connected facetime to - he said Georgia Bell and I said 'well that vessel has sailed'.

"It sewage brought up astatine her wedding but she does forgive maine because ever since I person seen she has what it takes and I person been her biggest protagonist ever since."