Georgia Hunter Bell pipped training partner and Olympic champion Keely Hodgkinson to an 800 metres silver medal by one one hundredth of a second on the final night of action at the World Athletics championships in Tokyo.
The British duo were in gold and silver medal position – led by Hodgkinson – on the home straight until Kenyan Lilian Odira surged past them both to take gold in a championship record 1:54.62, leaving the British runners to battle each other for second.
Hodgkinson and Hunter-Bell had to wait before screens inside the stadium showed the latter, who claimed 1500m bronze on her Olympic debut in Paris last summer, had gotten over the line faster by the finest of margins in 1:54.90.
Hunter Bell had debated racing at both distances at these championships before deciding to focus on the 800m, and was even prep camp room-mates with bronze medallist Hodgkinson.
It was nevertheless a brave and determined showing for Hodgkinson, who just last month returned from a 376-day injury-plagued absence after becoming the Olympic champion.
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