Cal Grad Georgia Bell Continues to Sizzle in Lead-Up to Paris Games

The 30-year-old 1,500-meter specialst drops down to the 800 and runs the third-fastest time in the world this year at London

Georgia Bell / Instagram

Paris-bound Georgia Bell was merely trying to get in some speed work in her hometown at the London Diamond League track and field meet on Saturday.

In front of crowd of nearly 60,000 fans at London’s Olympic Stadium, the 30-year-old Cal grad came away with a huge personal best while finishing third in a fast 800-meter race in her final competition before the Paris Games.

Bell, who will run the 1,500 at Paris, clocked a time of 1 minute, 56.28 seconds, trimming more than 3 1/2 seconds off her previous best mark, which the 11th-fastest entry time in the field.

Her time was the third-fastest in the world this year, behind only two fellow Brits who beat her Saturday.

“I'm really happy,” Bell said. “I'm a Londoner so it's cool to perform in London and I'm loving the experience. The 800 helps me with speed training for the 1500.

“I’ve not got any more races before the Games just a block of training. Until then I'm just focusing on staying healthy, happy and hopefully have a good performance in Paris.” 

Training partner Keely Hodgkinson won the race in a time of 1:54.61 that was a personal best, meet record, a British national record and world-leading time in 2024. Hodgkinson, who moved to No. 8 on the all-time iist in the event, is one of the favorites at Paris.

A third Brit, Olympic qualifier Jemma Reekie was second with a personal-best of 1:55.61, just a couple weeks after she battled COVID. She was one of four runners who eclipsed Reekie’s year-old meet record of 1:57.30.

Seven of the race’s 10 finishers ran personal bests and the other three logged season bests.

Bell, who completed a modest Cal career in 2017, has been one of the revelations of this track and field season. She stepped away from the sport for four years after leaving Berkeley to return home, then began a comeback in 2021.

She leaped onto the world scene this season with a series of fast times in the 1,500, her specialty. Bell won the British trials to qualify for Paris and two weeks ago clocked 3:56.54 — nearly 16 seconds faster than she’d ever run before this season.

Bell will run her first-round race at Paris on Tuesday, Aug. 6.

The London meet produced four world-leading marks and a sizzling personal-best by American sprint star Noah Lyles.

Expected to become one of the biggest stars at the Olympics, Lyles won the 100 meters in 9.81, giving him great momentum headed to Paris.

“A (personal best) and getting faster before Paris,” Lyles said. “I know exactly where I am ahead of Paris. I knew we'd be getting more eyes on us, I've been waiting for this for six years! I live for the biggest moments, the more eyes the better I perform. 

“As soon as I get on the stage when the TV is on and people are watching, I perform.”

Lyles will be the Olympic favorite in the 100 and 200, said he hopes to anchor the U.S. to a world record in the 4x100 relay and has even suggested he’d like to go for four gold medals if U.S. coaches give him a spot in the 4x400 relay.