Kenyan's flying finish stuns Olympic champion Hodgkinson as Hunter Bell takes bronze in Tokyo.

No-one saw Lilian Odira coming. The Kenyan, who had been ranked 17th in the world before the women’s 800m final in Tokyo, sprang a huge shock on Sunday (September 21) as her brilliant finishing kick took her to world championships gold.

Her victory came at the expense of Olympic champion and gold medal favourite Keely Hodgkinson, who had been leading coming into the closing metres but could do nothing to combat the finishing kick that helped Odiri produce a championship record-breaking run of 1:54.62 – a personal best by two seconds.

The world championships have a habit of not being kind to Hodgkinson, who came agonisingly close to gold in both 2022 and 2023. This time she had to settle for bronze as team-mate and training partner Georgia Hunter Bell pipped her on the line by fractions with a personal best of 1:54.90, to Hodgkinson’s 1:54.91.

It was the first time since 2007, when Christine Ohuruogu won 400m gold in front of Nicola Sanders, that two British athletes had made the podium in the same world championships race.

The defending champion Mary Moraa set off like a train, going to the front and looking to disrupt Hodgkinson, making life difficult for her pursuer who stuck to the inside rail, just on the Kenyan’s shoulder.

The first 200m were covered in 26.35, while Moraa hit the bell first in 55.67 and it was with 300m left that Hodgkinson tried to take control and hit the front.

Rather than increasing her gap over the field as she had done at last year’s Olympics, however, they were still in close order coming off the final bend and the chase was now being led by Hunter Bell.

Hodgkinson, who had spent a year out of action due to injury and only returned to racing in August, was straining every sinew and it looked like the European champion might just be about to win her first world title.

However, suddenly Odiri burst through on the outside and Hunter Bell – running in the first global 800m final of her career –  produced what has become a trademark strong finish to settle the medal places. Just not in the order that anyone expected.

“I thought I had it,” said Hodgkinson, who ran the third-fastest time of her career. “I didn’t feel Odira coming. I did my best to hang on, but the legs didn’t quite have it. It got away from me once again but I went and gave my best.

I wanted gold so I am a bit disappointed. I think if someone told me back in June: 'You are going to run and get a bronze medal', I would have taken it but I came here as a favourite and I wanted to fulfil that. It's part of my journey, I want to get that world gold and will definitely get it at some point. This season, coming back from an injury showed me how strong I am."

For Hunter Bell, Olympic 1500m bronze medallist in Paris last year, her remarkable comeback story continues. She finished the evening feeling vindicated at her decision to focus on the 800m rather than attempting a 1500m/800m double.

"I needed to be fresh to win a medal here,” she said. “I am very proud of my performance tonight. This is my best time ever. The pace was harder than expected in the first lap and I tried not to get dropped.

“I was away from the track for a while when I was in technology sales for seven years. People don't see all the years of training I did when I had a full-time job, funding myself to get to races. I am so happy it's all come together."