A blazing Olympic record from Kipyegon, 3 mins and 51.29 secs, proved a blessing beyond the in-race pain for her rivals, as the Kenyan dragged a train of medal hopefuls around to express times. And Bell profited to claim a British record of 3 mins and 52.61 secs, almost four seconds better than her previous best mark, to finish just five-hundredths of a second behind Australia’s Jess Hull in silver.
Bell trains alongside newly-crowned 800m Olympic champion Keely Hodgkinson and has now completed a staggering journey from quitting the sport in 2017 to rediscovering her passion for running in 2021.
“I don't know if I've ever been this happy," Bell told BBC Sport. “I woke up really calm and in a good mood and I just thought ‘I’m not the fastest person in that race' but I thought if I was brave and got stuck in, I could make something special happen.”
But while there was elation for Bell, it was agony for Laura Muir, with the Scot 0.24 seconds off the podium after a tactically mature performance to sit off the sizzling pace and use her strength to reel in her rivals.
This story is from the August 11, 2024 edition of The Independent.
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This story is from the August 11, 2024 edition of The Independent.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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