The Olympic 1500m bronze medallist will aim for her first international title in Apeldoorn after a strong start to the indoor season
A year ago, Georgia Hunter Bell was just at the beginning of her breakthrough year, securing the British indoor 1500m title, which led her to a fourth-place finish at the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow. Fast forward to today, and she’s in her first full year as a professional athlete, with her sights set on European Indoor Championship gold in Apeldoorn (March 6-9).

At those World Indoor Championships, the 31-year-old delivered a performance which shocked everyone. After crossing the finish line to a cheering home crowd, commentator Steve Cram said, “Georgia Bell must know that if she goes full-time, she’ll be able to make the Olympics.”

Those words were exactly what Hunter Bell needed to hear to make a pivotal decision in her career. Just one week later, she requested time off from her cyber security job to focus on making the Olympic team. Cram’s comment made it easier for her to take the leap, as her colleagues had all tuned in to watch her race, with all the details on how to watch listed in her out of office email, and heard his encouragement.

That moment marked the beginning of her professional journey. Hunter Bell, who trains under BBC Sports Personality Coaches of the Year Trevor Painter and Jenny Meadows, not only made the Olympics but also earned a 1500m bronze medal in Paris, finishing behind Faith Kipyegon and Jessica Hull. She also set a new British record of 3:52.62.

Winning that Olympic bronze medal was a defining moment and she knew it was time to fully commit to her athletic career. Her departure from work became a topic of speculation amongst her colleagues, who even held a sweepstake on whether she would leave after her sabbatical. Those who predicted her exit were the winners.

“Last year exceeded our expectations,” said Hunter Bell. “I knew that if I gave it a go, if I stopped working full time, I knew there’d be an improvement. But we weren’t expecting to run as fast as the times that we were. It gives me motivation. I’m hopeful but I know I need to prove myself all over again [this year] and I don’t want to rest on last year. I want to make sure that I’m pushing myself on and doing even better.”

She added: “After Paris we saw how much of a difference it [going full-time] made. That was the point where I thought I owed it to myself to see what is capable over these next four years in the run-up to LA, what is achievable and what I can do with a few years as a pro under my belt.

“It has been a crazy 12 months. It’s been fun being the underdog, I really enjoyed that role last year because I just knew that I was in great shape and I had loads of confidence. Now I’m going into it with the new challenge this year of being expected to win I guess, it’s different and I’m adjusting to it.”

As she prepares for gold in Apeldoorn this week, Hunter Bell is no stranger to success at the European level. Last June, she won silver at the European Championships in Rome, finishing behind Ireland’s Ciara Mageean.

Since then, she has been relentlessly training with her M11 Track Club on several training camps with Olympic 800m champion Keely Hodgkinson. Training alongside an Olympic champion certainly has it’s benefits, including being able to develop a winner’s mindset, a key part of her training.

“In some ways, [Keely and I] have had very similar journeys. Keely has managed to back it up after her breakthrough and she’s really helpful with that,” said Hunter Bell.

“It’s mainly a mindset shift, and she has worked with a sports psychologist to change that mindset from seeing yourself as a medallist to seeing yourself as a winner. It’s something that I’m going to explore this year as well, because you have to think like a gold medallist to be able to make that happen when the margins are so small.”

Hunter Bell has embraced the opportunity to travel with her team on training camps, something which she can take more seriously now she is no longer in full-time employment.

She said: “Before, I was trying to work out there, trying to take annual leave, trying to juggle and change meetings, whereas now in April I will be going on my third camp in four months. There are so many benefits, especially to be able to train with Keely every day and be around amazing athletes.”

In February, Hunter Bell competed in the Keely Klassic in Birmingham, where she narrowly missed breaking Laura Muir’s British indoor 1500m record of 3:59.58, finishing with a personal best of 4:00.63. Despite falling short of the record, Bell was pleased with her performance, securing a win ahead of her training partner, Sarah Healy.

“The main difference going full-time is the recovery, which has increased massively,” said Hunter Bell. “If I look at last year, I was waking up at 6am to train before work, working a full day, and then going out to train in the dark in the evenings. Although I’ve only been a full-time pro since May, when I slammed my laptop shut, if you look at the times I was running this time last year, it bodes well.

“I couldn’t break 4:03 indoors last year and at the Keely Klassic a few weeks ago I was able to run four dead from going to the front and trying to push on the pace. So hopefully all of those things that we’re implementing on training camps will bode well for the summer.”

Bell’s story is something which is now talked about amongst the athletics world and something which she hopes inspires future generations. As a promising junior athlete and English schools champion, she moved to the University of California to become an NCAA athlete but went through a spell of injury.

After taking a five-year hiatus from the sport, she famously found her way back to her coaches is now aiming for her first gold medal on an international stage.

Reflecting on her past, Bell said: “I was a good athlete as a junior, through my teens, and then at 23 I just stopped. I think the message is that there is no set rule on when it is that you might make it to this point. I think I truly believed when I was 23 that if I hadn’t made it by then, then I never would so what was the point?

“I wish I had heard more stories like my own, like Faith Kipyegon is 30 and she’s the best in the world. Dame Kelly Holmes got a double Olympic gold when she was 34. I want people to know that you don’t have to compare yourself to other people, just enjoy what you do and who knows how far you’ll be able to get.”

Bell’s story will continue to inspire athletes of all ages as she toes the line in Apeldoorn for her 1500m heat on March 6 (19:10), with the final set for March 7 (21:00). Joining her on the GB team will be her training partner, Ava Lloyd, who makes her senior debut, as well as Olympian Revée Walcott-Nolan.