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Georgia Bell unleashed the kick of her dreams to haul in Ethiopia’s Diribe Welteji and snatch a 1500m bronze at the Olympics as the legendary Faith Kipyegon clinched a third successive title.
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.
“Me and Faith Kipyegon have been in global finals together since 2015, I've known her very well – she’s amazing,” Muir said. “Not just for our event but for the sport as well it's fantastic to see and Jess [Hull] too won her first medal, I'm really close with her and obviously Georgia [Bell] as well doing absolutely brilliantly.
“It's a very nice podium – sad I'm not on it but I'm very happy with the podium they're all lovely girls.”
The 1500m provided Kipyegon a shot at redemption after being upset by compatriot Beatrice Chebet in the 5000m and the 30-year-old’s screech at the finish line suggested an exorcising of demons in a thrilling race.
Team GB’s men, Alex Haydock-Wilson, Matthew Hudson-Smith, Lewis Davey and Charlie Dobson, added a bronze in the 4x400m relay in an outstanding European record of 2 mins and 55.83 secs.
Up ahead was a sensational battle for gold between the USA and Botswana, as 400m hurdles champion Rai Benjamin held off the express pace of Letsile Tebogo on a gripping final leg to improve the Olympic record to 2 mins and 54.53 secs.
And the British women repeated the trick in the women’s race, which was won by a dominant United States led by Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone off the back of her world record in the 400m hurdles, delivering the fastest leg of the relay in 47.70 seconds.
Behind the Americans, Femke Bol won silver for the Netherlands, but Amber Anning finished the job started by Victoria Ohuruogu, Laviai Nielsen and Nicole Yeargin in 3 mins and 19.72 secs, one of three national records behind Team USA, to deny Ireland a medal.
While the chaos of the relays were unfolding, New Zealand's Hamish Kerr won gold in the men's high jump, beating out United States' Shelby McEwen in a jump-off, while reigning champion Mutaz Barshim took the bronze.
Joining Kipyegon to banish any regret from an earlier event at Paris 2024 was Jakob Ingebrigtsen, who put behind a harrowing experience in the 1500m after being left off the podium entirely.
The 5000m afforded him more comfort with his closing speed an asset, rather than a glimmer of a weakness for the speedsters, such as newly-crowned champion Cole Hocker, down at 1500m. A naive strategy from his rivals allowed him to dominate the field once again, thriving off a pedestrian pace and surging past Hagos Gebrhiwet with 200m to go and putting 12m into the rest of the field to win by 1.5 seconds in 13:13.66.
Now the question becomes whether Ingebrigtsen can gain revenge at 1500m or whether he looks to add records and flashy times to his 5000m medals. It was a brilliant bronze for Grant Fisher, with the USA star repeating the trick from the 10000m to finish behind Kenya’s Ronald Kwemoi.
