Georgia Bell seals Olympic spot with UK Athletics Championships 1500m gold

Belgrave Harriers’ Georgia Bell stormed to victory at the UK Athletics Championships and confirmed her place with Team GB at this summer’s Paris Olympics.

Credit: Jerry Sun

Bell rounded off a fantastic weekend for the club that saw seven athletes don the famous claret and gold over two days in Manchester. Kate Axford and Jess Scheriff defied hammer wind and tumbling rain on the opening day to break club records in the 5000m and 3000m steeplechase respectively, while Thomas Chaston set a personal best of 8:42.21 in the 3000m steeplechase. Sarah Astin and Max Heyden also represented Belgrave in the 5000m, while Sian Harry competed in the 400m.

Bell eased through her 1500m heat on the Saturday ahead of a Sunday evening finale that would pit her against a competitive field that included Olympic silver medallist Laura Muir and Luton’s Revée Walcott-Nolan, who Bell edged to UK Indoor Champs victory earlier this year.

Georgia kicks to gold

Credit: Jerry Sun

Bell secured the Olympic qualifying time in May, leaving her needing to finish in the top two in her final to guarantee her place at the Games. She came into the race in fine form, having won silver at the European Championships earlier in June.

With none of the main contenders for the Olympic team needing to run the qualifying time, the race began in cautious fashion.

“It didn’t go how I thought it was going to go, I actually thought it was going to out kind of hot,” Bell told Athletics Weekly. “Everyone was kind of waiting for someone to make a move,” she continued.

Bell was clipped in the opening stages and at times boxed in. But before long, she was able to break away from the main pack with Muir and Walcott-Nolan, and delivered a sweeping kick in the final 100m to take the victory.

“With 300m to go I just tried to stay engaged, and then thank God I had another gear on that home straight.”

Bell will be Belgrave’s first athlete at an Olympic Games since 2012, when the club was represented by Dwain Chambers, Marty Dent, Darvin Edwards, Philips Idowu and Goldie Sayers.

“That’s just all any track athlete wants, just to have that to their name,” she said. “It’s just amazing, I’m really happy.”

Credit: Jerry Sun