Georgia Bell: Team GB star reveals incredible journey to Olympic bronze - ‘Never thought I would step on a track again’

Against all odds, Georgia Bell became an Olympic medallist at Paris 2024 after only returning to running a few years ago. The 30-year-old quit the sport in 2017 but "got back into running" in 2020. Never in her wildest dreams did the Team GB star believe she would race at the Olympics, let alone medal in the 1500m final. "I truly never thought I’d step on a track again," she told Eurosport.

'I truly never thought I'd step on a track again' - Bell on journey to Olympic bronze

Video credit: TNT Sports

Team GB’s Georgia Bell has revealed her incredible journey from running an hour a day during the Covid pandemic to becoming an Olympic medallist four years later while on sabbatical from work.

The 30-year-old claimed an astonishing bronze medal in the women’s 1500m final on Saturday, in a national record time of 3:52.61.

She finished just over a second behind Kenyan icon Faith Kipyegon, who broke the Olympic record she set at the Tokyo Games three years ago to claim her third consecutive gold medal.

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In a rapid race which saw Great Britain’s initial medal hope Laura Muir finish fifth despite running a personal best, Bell surpassed Kipyegon’s old Olympic record in the race of her life.

Speaking to Eurosport on Sunday, the Paris-born athlete revealed that she had to take time away from her job as a cybersecurity attack expert to compete at the Games, after only getting back into running a few years ago following her initial decision to quit the sport in 2017.

“I can’t quite believe it, I’m still in a lot of shock,” Bell said.

'Absolutely brilliant' - GB's Bell storms through for bronze in 1500m final

Video credit: TNT Sports

“I asked work if I could take a sabbatical. They were really supportive but kind of like, ‘we’re not really sure how you’re going to do at the Olympics.’

“I took the break from work over the summer to try and make the Olympics and get the medal, so I’m very happy about that."

She added: “When we were doing the heats on Tuesday and Thursday, I was thinking, ‘I should be at work right now, I should be on back-to-back zooms, so I’m just going to seize this moment’.

“I think it’s good, I was a good runner and then I walked away and I truly never thought I’d step on a track again, so being there I was just taking it in so much, enjoying it.

“I had no pressure, nothing to lose. I know training has been going really well, so I was like, ‘just go for it, who knows?'”

A spot in the Team GB Olympics team seemed beyond belief for Bell, let alone a medal.

She admitted that running at the Olympics was never a realistic goal following her return to the sport, but quickly realised that she was gaining momentum during her training.

In the build-up to the Paris Games, Bell became the British national champion in the 1500m and claimed a silver medal at the European Championships in Rome.

“With Covid, when exercise was the only thing you could do, I just started one hour of exercise a day, started doing parkruns again,” Bell explained of her journey back to competition.

Watch as GB hold on for bronze in entertaining women's 4x400m relay

Video credit: TNT Sports

“But when I got back into running it wasn’t the hope of making it to the Olympics, it was just enjoying running again.

“Then I got back in contact with my old coach after I could see I was gaining a little bit of fitness. So it was all very gradual.

“It has been three years of hard work behind the scenes. It wasn’t just couch to 5k, to Olympic medallist!”

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