Running News Daily

Olympic rematch between medalists Jessica Hull and Georgia Bell headlines 2025 NYRR Wanamaker Mile

In January 2024, if Georgia Bell wanted to run in an indoor meet, she had to go to the World Athletics website, look up the meet director’s email address, and beg. Bell and her coaches, Trevor Painter and Jenny Meadows, would have to explain why a 30-year-old with a 4:06 personal best at 1500 meters and no accomplishments to speak of at the senior level deserved a spot on the start line.

In January 2025, meet directors are the ones begging Bell to run in their races. An Olympic bronze medal will do that.

On February 8, Olympic silver medalist Jessica Hull of Australia and Bell will headline the women’s NYRR Wanamaker Mile at the 2025 Millrose Games in New York alongside World Indoor medalists Nikki Hiltz and Emily Mackay of the United States. One year ago, the idea of Bell headlining any race — let alone one of the most glamorous events on the indoor circuit — would have seemed laughable, mainly because most of the running world did not know Bell existed.

“A lot has changed in this past year,” says Bell in an interview with LetsRun.com. “Being invited to be at such a prestigious event like Millrose, I’m just really appreciative and really excited to step on the start line and race there.”

A new year brings a new reality for Bell

Being in-demand by race organizers is just one of many aspects of Bell’s new reality as an Olympic medalist. A year ago, she was working an office job in cybersecurity, waking up at 6 a.m. to cycle before work and heading to the track for a session at 7 p.m. once she had finished. Now Bell is a full-time professional runner. Her shoe contract with Nike offers many benefits, not least of which is the freedom to sleep in until 9 a.m. if she so desires.

Bell’s goals have also evolved significantly over the past 12 months. This time last year, her biggest goal for the year was to make the British team for World Indoors.

“That was kind of my Olympics,” Bell says. “I was like, maybe if I really try, [I could make the team because] I thought a lot of people would be skipping indoors because they’re focusing on Paris in the summer.”

Bell did make the team and finished fourth in the 1500m final in Glasgow, one of many surprises in a breakout season that saw her drop her personal bests from 2:03 in the 800 and 4:06 in the 1500 to 1:56 and 3:52.

In 2025, Bell is thinking much bigger. Once again, she is targeting World Indoors, which will be held in Nanjing, China, from March 21-23, and this time, she wants a medal. Bell also plans on running at the European Indoor Championships in Apeldoorn, the Netherlands (March 6-9), as well as the outdoor World Championships in Tokyo (September 13-21).

 ”I want to come away with as much hardware as possible,” Bell says. “So that means competing at all of the major championships.”

But first is a trip to the United States, where Bell plans on racing at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix on February 2 before heading down to Millrose six days later for a race that will look very similar to last year’s Olympics. While Olympic champion Faith Kipyegon will be absent — she has not run a single indoor race during her decorated career — four of the top seven from the women’s 1500m final in Paris will be at Millrose.

Olympic champion to challenge 41-year-old 800m world record

Launching your own track meet and naming it after yourself is one thing–but Great Britain’s 800m Olympic champion Keely Hodgkinson didn’t stop there. On Wednesday, British Athletics revealed that the inaugural Keely Klassic track meet, set for Feb. 15 in Birmingham, will conclude with Hodgkinson trying to break the 800m world record, which has stood for 41 years.

The record of 1:53.28, set by Czechoslovak athlete Jarmila Kratochvílová in 1983, is the longest-standing world record in athletics. Hodgkinson would need to run more than a second faster than her personal best (1:54.61) to even come close to taking it down. The run will mark Hodgkinson’s season opener and first race back from an injury that cut her 2024 season short.

At the Keely Klassic, Hodgkinson promises “a unique, immersive experience that will combine elite competition with an electrifying atmosphere” and extends the meeting invitation to Great Britain’s world-class track and field athletes.

The unveiling comes less than a day after Tuesday’s BBC Sports Personality of the Year (SPOTY) ceremony, where Hodgkinson took centre stage. The 22-year-old is the first track athlete to win since Mo Farah won in 2017, and the first female track athlete to win since 2004. Her win also marks the fourth consecutive year that a woman has won the award–the longest streak in history.

“I’m actually in a bit of shock,” Hodgkinson said upon accepting the trophy. “I’m actually more excited for my coach, to be honest, because I wouldn’t be where I am without his guidance, [which] I’ve had since I was 17.”

“This year has been absolutely incredible for me,” she continued. “I achieved everything I set out to do on the outdoor track, which is kind of rare, so I’m grateful to be in this position.”

Olympic triathlon champion Alex Yee was also a contender for the award.

Hodgkinson’s coaches, Trevor Painter and Jenny Meadows, were awarded Coach(es) of the Year. Along with the Olympic 800m champion, the pair coaches Olympic 1,500m bronze medallist Georgia Bell.

Mondo Duplantis wins Sport Star of the Year

Pole vaulting legend Mondo Duplantis was also acknowledged at the event, winning World Sport Star of the Year. The Swedish-American world record holder was pitted against fellow sports icons, including gymnast Simone Biles, WNBA player Caitlin Clark and Olympic marathon champion Sifan Hassan.

“So sorry that I can’t be in attendance tonight–I’m back here in the States right now, training for the up and coming season. I know I’m in great company–the biggest legends of all time in sports have won this award. This really means a lot to me.”

FAITH KIPYEGON CLAIMS THIRD WOMEN’S 1500M TITLE IN OLYMPIC RECORD TIME

Faith Kipyegon blazed to victory in the Olympic Games Paris 2024 women’s 1500m, finishing in 3:51.29 to claim a brilliant gold and Olympic record on the final night of track action at the Stade de France. She is the first athlete - male or female - to win gold in the event at three different Games.

“It’s a big, big achievement,” said an elated Kipyegon after her victory. “I was really looking forward to defending my title (from the last two Olympic Games), and I had a dream. It’s amazing to me, I completed it. I’m so, so happy.

“This is history. I managed to make history. I’ve done it. This is an amazing honour, to win the gold medal in the 1500. It was my key target.”

Jessica Hull of Australia won silver in 3:52.56, with Great Britain’s Georgia Bell running the race of her life to take bronze in a national record time of 3:52.61.

“It’s all a bit of a blur,” said bronze medallist Bell. “I think it’ll hit me a little bit later. On the start (line) I really had the feeling that if I just stuck in there I’d be able to do something special, so I’m over the moon to get a medal.”

Kipyegon is the world record holder in the 1500m, having posted a time of 3:49.04 in Paris earlier this year. She came into the race having already won Olympic silver in the 5,000m behind compatriot Beatrice Chebet.

However, over a distance she had made her own, the Kenyan sprinted to the finish line to take her third Olympic title and break the Olympic record she herself had set at Tokyo 2020.

History was made across the entire podium, with the British record falling into the hands of bronze-winning Bell and Hull becoming the first-ever Australian medallist in the event.

But the day belonged to World Athlete of the Year Kipyegon, who has become close to unbeatable over the metric mile and stands victorious once again after a scintillating performance at Paris 2024.

Faith Kipyegon ready for historic 1,500m Olympics hat-trick

Two-time 1,500 Olympic champion Faith Kipyegon will be seeking to become the first woman to win three titles in the same individual track event at the Olympics, when she lines up in the semifinals of the race on Thursday at the Stade de France.

The defending champion clocked (4:00.74) to finish fourth in heat two, behind winner Ethiopia’s Diribe Welteji (3:59.73), Britain’s Georgia Bell (4:00.290 and USA’s Nikki Hiltz (4:00.42) yesterday.

The heats came barely 12 hours after Kipyegon successfully appealed to overturn her disqualification from the 5,000m after a mid-race altercation with Ethiopia’s Gudaf Tsegay in which both narrowly missed crashing onto the track.

Kipyegon grabbed silver in 14:29.60, finishing ahead of the Netherlands’ Sifan Hassan (14:30.61) as compatriot Beatrice Chebet grabbed gold in (14:28.56).

However, the track queen will have to be mentally fit in Thursday’s semis, to reach Saturday’s finals, following a drama packed Monday night 5,000m race finals.

“I feel fresh and ready for the semis, I am Faith and I participate in a good way and I believe in myself. It was a good race a lot of pushing up and down but all in all, it is finished and I focus on the 1,500m semis,” Kipyegon said.

Kipyegon who didn’t manage to talk to journalists after Monday’s drama didn’t want to dwell much on the matter.

“I just went to the village and took a nap knowing that I had another race the next morning. I was not disappointed but this is another distance altogether, I really thank Kenyans for the support and prayers as we continue pushing in the 1,500m,” Kipyegon said.

Having put Monday’s drama behind her, she goes to the semis not having lost in the 1,500m since 2021, with the historical third Olympic title beckoning.

The world champion must beat three of the five fastest 1,500m runners in history, including her Ethiopian rival Tsegay and Austraila’s Jessica Hull, to reach her dreams.

She will fly the Kenyan flag alongside compatriots Susan Ejore and Nelly Jepchirchir who also qualified for the semis.

The Kenyan star ended her 2023 track campaign with a 1,500m win at the Wanda Diamond League final in Eugene on 26 Aug 2023.

She ran 3:53.98 in the 1,500m and 14:46.28 for 5,000m in Nairobi, during the Kenyan Olympic trials.

Faith warmed up for the Olympics by breaking the world 1,500m record again at the Paris Diamond League meeting on July 7, 2024 after clocking 3:49.04

Poland’s Anita Wlodarczyk is the only woman in the history of the games to ever claim a threepeat, as well as possessing the two fastest performances of all time in the hammer throw.

Kerr and Muir head host nation team for Glasgow

World champion Josh Kerr and Olympic silver medalist Laura Muir are among the athletes selected to represent Great Britain and Northern Ireland at the World Athletics Indoor Championships Glasgow 24.

World leader Molly Caudery is also on the host nation team for the event taking place at the Glasgow Arena from 1-3 March.

Kerr, who won world 1500m gold at the World Championships in Budapest last year, will contest the 3000m. Olympic 1500m silver medallist Muir, who claimed 1500m silver and 3000m bronze at the 2018 World Indoor Championships, will also race the 3000m in Glasgow.

Caudery heads to the event as the current world leader in the pole vault following her 4.85m PB clearance at the UK Indoor Championships on Saturday.

They will be joined in Glasgow by athletes including Jemma Reekie, who sits second on this season’s top list with the 1:58.24 she ran to win the national 800m title on Sunday, plus 60m hurdlers Cindy Sember and David King, high jumper Morgan Lake and sprinter Jeremiah Azu.

The full team will be confirmed once world rankings places have been finalised.

British team for Glasgow

Women

400m:Laviai Nielsen

800m: Isabelle Boffey, Jemma Reekie

1500m: Georgia Bell, Revee Walcott-Nolan

3000m: Laura Muir

60m hurdles: Cindy Sember

High jump: Morgan Lake

Pole vault: Molly Caudery

4x400m: Hannah Brier, Hannah Kelly, Jessie Knight, Laviai Nielsen, Lina Nielsen, Ama Pipi

Men

60m: Jeremiah Azu

1500m: Callum Elson, Adam Fogg

3000m: Josh Kerr

60m hurdles: David King, Tade Ojora.