Georgia Hunter Bell was still a novice when she won a silver medal in the 1500m at the 2024 European Athletics Championships in Rome but the late bloomer of the British middle distance team has performed like a seasoned veteran at every championships she has contested.
Since then, Hunter Bell won Olympic 1500m bronze in Paris and 800m silver at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, outpacing her training partner Keely Hodgkinson in the last 30 metres.
Only last week, Hunter Bell won her first major outdoor title at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow where she kicked away from world champion Lilian Odira for 800m gold.
European record - Sifan Hassan (NED) 3:51.95
European lead - Georgia Hunter Bell (GBR) 3:55.63
Championship record - Tatyana Tomashova (RUS) 3:56.91
Roma 2024 medallists
Ciara Mageean (IRL) 4:04.66
Georgia Bell (GBR) 4:05.33
Agathe Guillemot (FRA) 4:05.69
Five to watch
- Georgia Hunter Bell (GBR)
- Agathe Guillemot (FRA)
- Sarah Healy (IRL)
- Patricia Silva (POR)
- Klaudia Kazimierska (POL)
The only small glitch on an otherwise gleaming CV was in the 1500m final at the 2025 European Athletics Indoor Championships in Apeldoorn where the outstanding favourite, who was slightly weakened by an untimely bout of illness, faded to fourth in a race won by France’s Agathe Guillemot.
Based on recent form, Guillemot is likely to be the main barrier between Hunter Bell and another major title, particularly in a slower final.
Guillemot kicked away commandingly to win the European indoor title last March and the former heptathlete produced a sizzling last 400m of 55.75 to win an admittedly slow and tactical 1500m at the French Championships at the end of July.
But in a faster race, the balance of power is likely to swing back in the favour of the Brit. Hunter Bell won the world indoor 1500m title in Torun in 3:58.53 with Guillemot just missing out on a medal in fourth and she is the fastest European in 2026 with a 3:55.63 victory in the Paris Diamond League where Guillemot was third albeit in a national record of 3:56.24.
Five Europeans have broken the 4:00-barrier this year. Portugal’s Patricia Silva, the daughter of 1998 and 2002 European 1500m medallist Rui, has improved to 3:58.74 and sits third on the 2026 European list just ahead of Poland’s Klaudia Kazimierska and Lithuania’s Gabija Galvydytė who have season’s bests of 3:59.24 and 3:59.74 respectively.
And behind this leading quintet, the entry-list is replete with athletes who have distinguished championship records, none more so than Great Britain’s Laura Muir, the 2018 and 2022 European champion, who will be looking to roll back the years and challenge for another place on the podium.
Hunter Bell’s training partner Sarah Healy, the reigning European indoor 3000m champion, is another proven big-time performer. She will be looking to follow in the footsteps of her Irish teammate Ciara Mageean who took a memorable victory ahead of Hunter Bell and Guillemot in the 1500m in Rome two years ago.
Portugal’s Salome Afonso, who won medals in both the 1500m and 3000m at the 2025 European Athletics Indoor Championships, is another athlete who will be dangerous, particularly in a slower final.