Great Britain’s Georgia Hunter-Bell has opened up about the brutal demands of middle-distance racing following her latest outing at the Paris Diamond League on Friday, June 20.
The British star clocked a strong 3:58.06 in the women’s 1500m, placing sixth in a world-class field. But behind the performance was a raw admission about just how physically taxing the race truly felt. Kenya’s Nelly Chepchirchir won the race with a season’s best of 3:57.02.
“I would have loved to finish a bit higher up,” she said. “It felt hard. The first round of the Slam felt hard, so I think 1500’s just tough.”
Known more prominently for her exploits over 800m, Georgia Hunter-Bell has been stretching herself across both distances in recent weeks. With major championships on the horizon, she’s using races like Paris as crucial testing grounds for what could be a double attempt.
“Exactly, I need to start doing that if that is an option. There could be a chance I just do the 800. We’ll have to make an assessment close to the time based on what shape I’m in.”
It was at this point that she revealed a take that might raise eyebrows among some of her fellow athletes.
“Hot take, doing 800s? 1500 is so much harder. I’m sorry, I might get some hate for that from 800m runners, but you’re in pain early doors.”
Still, the Brit is embracing every opportunity to grow, improve, and challenge herself against the best in the world.
“All the girls are so good. So every time, it’s a really good challenge. They did amazing today, my teammates are heck, so absolutely, yeah, definitely one to watch.”