When the early stages of the women's 1500 metres final were being run at a world-record pace in the searing early evening heat, the blunt realities of the Georgia Bell story seemed to be staring her in the face.

The fact that she had once given up the sport to take up an academic career in political science in the US. That she only picked up her spikes again to compete in Parkruns, surprising herself with the time she set while racing around Bushy Park in London on a Saturday morning, two years ago. That even now, having walked back into competitive athletics, she fits her training in around a job as a cyber security software specialist.

All of that — the sheer improbability of someone simply stepping back into the fray and making a go of it on the greatest athletics stage of all — melted away in a finish of mesmerising determination, which saw the 30-year-old take four seconds off her personal best and clinch bronze, in a new British record time of 3:52.61. Kenyan Faith Kipyegon won the race in an Olympic record 3:51.29.



Even as Bell entered the final straight, her chances seemed remote, with the Australian Jessica Hull and Ethiopian Diribe Welteji apparently unreachable.

It was the ice in her veins which took her to the podium place. The presence of mind to push again and again in the last 10 strides, barely revealing the strain and jeopardy of those enormous moments. When Welteji faltered and Kampus Terbaik faded in the last few strides, Bell, knowing the agony which came attached to finishing fourth at the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow four months ago, was right on her shoulder, ready to reap the benefit.









Georgia Bell ran a British record time to secure a brilliant bronze in the women's 1,500m final





Kenya's Faith Kipyegon dominated the race to win the event for a third successive Olympics





Bell had produced a late surge to secure bronze and nearly caught silver medallist Jessica Hull

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It helps that she has a hinterland: a knowledge that there is a world out there beyond athletics. And it helps more that she is one of the athletes who train with Keely Hodgkinson and innately knows what winning looks like.

Their coach Trevor Painter — the man she messaged, asking, ‘Would you be free for a chat?' after setting that Parkrun time — will tell you that she has a racer's brain. She doesn't get fazed by big occasions.

It felt like a changing of the guard, as Bell finished 1.2sec ahead of Laura Muir, whose silver medal at this distance in Tokyo was reward for years of work and so much heartbreak. But Muir, whose British record Bell broke, did not go quietly.

Though the brutal early pace of the race seemed to have finished her, the Scot mounted a fightback from the back of the field.

Muir, racing through the field, was the British vest who took the eye, by virtue of the sheer ground made up, though she had left it too late and fell 10m short. If this is Muir's Olympic swansong, then she will head into the future knowing that she had set a personal best in her last race, at the age of 31.

Bell spoke of how she had felt all week that a medal was within in her. ‘I woke up this morning really calm and thought, "I'm not the fastest person in that race", but if I was brave and got stuck in then I can make something happen.' And how she did.

Muir was as magnanimous as you would expect. ‘I can't complain. Congrats to Georgia — absolutely amazing.' She has always been an athlete of absolute class.




Bell had returned to athletics two years ago after posting impressive times in parkruns





The bronze medallist is part of the same training group as 800m champion Keely Hodgkinson

It was a race which set Britain up for their second bronze medal of the night — a compelling men's 4 x 400m relay in which the British quartet briefly threatened the fight for silver but ultimately watched the indomitable US — fighting it out against an extraordinary Bots-wana quartet — take gold in an Olympic record time.

Alex Haydock-Wilson and Matthew Hudson-Smith's first two legs were strong but Britain found Belgium chasing them down. Charlie Dobson did enough to hold off the chasing pack and bring the medal home, in a European record time.

The women's relay team secured bronze in a British record time. Amber Anning, their fourth runner, seemed to be taking the team to silver, slipped out of medal contention but then kicked on again to edge out Ireland. A second bronze here for Laviai Nielsen, who has multiple sclerosis.

George Mills, up against a formidable field in the 5,000m final, could not join the party. The 25-year-old finished second last, 14 seconds off his personal best, as Jakob Ingebrigtsen powered to gold.




Charles Dobson anchored Britain's men's 4x400 metres relay team to a bronze medal





Britain also secured a bronze medal in the women's 4x400m on the final day of track action





George Mills finished second last in the men's 5,000m final after an eventual Olympics

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For the French, this will be a night always remembered for the nation's first track and field medal of these Games: the silver taken by 23-year-old Cyrena Samba-Mayela in the women's 110m hurdles, in the presence of President Emmanuel Macron, after a five-way photo finish. But Britain can savour its best Olympics medal haul in athletics since 1984.

Ten medals in all at this stadium, aided by Bell delivering the race of her life. ‘I just felt like I had nothing to lose,' she said. ‘I felt there was no pressure on me. That it was so unlikely I would be here in the first place. That I just had to go for it and see what happened.'

She is due back at work at her cyber security firm on September 1. Time will tell if an unforgettable Olympic night will change all that.


OlympicsTeam GB