Georgia Bell: “I was born in Paris so it’s meant to be”

Georgia Bell’s journey comes full circle as she prepares for her Olympic debut in Paris, the city where she was born 30 years ago.

The European silver medallist will hit the track for the women’s 1500m on Tuesday (August 5) at 10:05 CET where she will strive to advance to the semi-finals.

But her path back to Paris wasn’t always clear. As the English Schools 800m champion in 2008, Bell’s future seemed bright, but injuries during her time at the University of California caused her to lose passion for the sport. Inspired by the Tokyo 2021 Olympics, she decided to give running another chance, and everything started to fall into place.

“If anyone can take anything from my unconventional route it is that you can get back to something you love, it is never too late,” says Bell. “When I quit all those years ago, it was unfinished business.

“I was born in Paris so it feels like it’s meant to be, it’s a full circle moment. It’s so random that I was born there 30 years ago, it’s so random that I got back into track and it’s so random that I’ve made it to the Olympics.

“I moved back to the UK when I was two years old so I don’t remember living in Paris. I am very much British but my passport does say I’m born in Paris. It’s cool but it’d be cooler if I spoke French.”

Balancing a full-time job in cyber security, Bell found a deep passion not only for running but also for cycling. Her dedication paid off when she won the women’s age-group title at the 2023 World Duathlon Championships.

This year, shifting her focus back to the track, Bell has been unstoppable in the 1500m, shattering her personal bests with remarkable performances. She kicked off the year as the British 1500m Indoor Champion and went on to finish fourth at the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow, clocking 4:03.47.

She continued her stellar form by setting a personal best of 3:56.54 at the Paris Diamond League in July – in the city where she hopes to continue her streak. Her first place at the British Championships in Manchester secured her spot on the Olympic team.

Despite her track success, Bell hasn’t abandoned the cycling as she maintains a rigorous weekly mileage, crediting it with helping her stay injury free.

“In an Olympic year, you have to put all your eggs in that basket if you want to make Paris but in the future I will go back to doing duathlons,” says Bell. “It’s still very much part of my life, I cycle 100 miles a week and it’s part of my training and always will be.

“Cycling is a way that I can get hours of endurance cardio in without having an impact on my body.

“I came from a place where I was running so many miles and I got so many stress fractures and was constantly trying to come back from injury. But now I’m cycling, I’ve had four years of not being injured so it has made me injury free but also fitter.”

However, her success extends beyond the 1500m. Just a few weeks ago at the London Diamond League, she shattered her previous 800m personal best of 1:59.93, clocking a stunning 1:56.28 to secure third place behind Jemma Reekie and training partner, Keely Hodgkinson.

Despite her time falling below the UKA Olympic qualifying standards, it was recorded after the Olympic selection process had already been made. Throughout the race, Bell tried to stay with Hodgkinson, who was gunning for a British record and set one with 1:54.61.

The pair both train under the guidance of Trevor Painter and world bronze medallist, Jenny Meadows. The coaching group are renowned for producing some of Britain’s emerging middle-distance stars.

“We’re having a bit of an identity crisis across the team, thinking am I actually an 800m runner?” says Bell.

“I’m at peace knowing that it’s not like we had the option to do both in Paris and we potentially made the wrong decision. I hadn’t run the Olympic qualifying time by the time we got to British trials, so I could have only gone for the 1500m. I have peace of mind knowing that.

“The goal for me in London was to not go out quite as quickly as them, because as a 1500m runner, running 400m pretty fast for the first lap might be a bit too tricky to come back from, but I just felt really good.

“I think next time I do an 800m race with Keely, I’ll try and hold on to her for a little bit longer and a be a bit braver from the start.”

Reflecting on her strong relationship with the team, Bell says: “Trevor and Jenny are basically second parents to me. I speak to them from more than I do my own parents. They know exactly what what they are doing. Jenny’s been through it all before, she is an amazing mentor and can talk you through the races. Trevor’s the man with the plan and i have full trust in his programme.

“We have people like Sarah Healy who is just phenomenal in every session and there’s lots of youngsters coming up as well, like Ava Lloyd who is definitely someone to look out for in the future.

“Keely has been followed by so many people in the last few years so to train alongside her it has definitely made me faster, trying to hang on to her during reps.

“I think her work ethic is really good and she is very hardworking and good at pushing herself. That kind of high quality is instilled across the rest of the team.”

Bell will be competing in Paris alongside Team GB’s Laura Muir and Revée Walcott-Nolan. Muir made history three years ago by becoming the first Scot to claim an individual track and field medal in 33 years as she took silver in the 1500m.

She recently broke her own British 1500m record at the Paris Diamond League, with 3:53.79.

Bell will be the only one making her Olympic debut this year, while Walcott-Nolan also has previous experience from Tokyo, where she delivered the fastest race of her career (4:06.23).

“All the British girls want to make sure that we make that final because when you are in the final, anything can happen,” says Bell. “The heats will be tough, everyone says the heats at the Olympics are the worst races of your life so the goal is to survive and advance through those.

“Laura’s got all the experience and I’ve watched her race so much, she is so brave and gutsy. I think we can learn a lot from how she races so it’s amazing to be lining up with her.

“I’ve known Revée for ages, we worked together all indoor season trying to get the Olympic qualifying time so I’m really happy to be on the team with her too.

“June was to show that I can run championship races in Rome and Manchester. July was about running fast with 1:56 for 800m and 3:56 for 1500m. August is for the Olympics and combining those.”

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