Georgia Bell: Team GB athlete battles to claim bronze medal in ...

Team GB's Georgia Bell battled to claim a bronze medal in the women's 1,500m final on Saturday as Kenya's Faith Kipyegon won the Olympic title for the third consecutive time.

The 30-year-old Olympic debutant was in the lead group as the race entered its final lap, and managed to find a burst of place on the finishing straight to comfortably take bronze.

The British national champion was unlucky not to get silver as Australia's Jessica Hull managing to just do enough on the line.

The gold was never in doubt though, with Kipyegon obliterating the field with a final kick on the finishing straight to take her hat-trick of Olympic victories.

The reigning world champion was at the front of the lead group within the first 400m and helped set a blistering pace that had many of the field struggling to keep up.

Those who had stayed on the 30-year-old's heels attempted to follow her every move, but in the final bend, she showed why she has only lost once since May 2021 - putting on the afterburners to pull away.

An unassailable gap opened between her and the then second-placed Diribe Welteji, but the world-record holder didn’t take her foot off the gas, powering to the finish and crossing the line in 3:51.29 - setting a new Olympic record.

Kipyegon was the runner to beat going into the final, but it was Ethiopia’s Gudaf Tsegay who led the race through its first 400m, covering the first lap in 59.23.

Great Britain’s Laura Muir - silver medallist at Tokyo 2020 - and Georgia Bell found themselves at the back of the field, but it wasn’t time to panic yet.

On the second lap, Bell managed to latch on to the back of the lead group, while Muir seemed to almost be in danger of losing ground.

With 600m to go, the 31-year-old started to close the gap, but it seemed too little, too late.

Entering the final lap, Bell had edged her way up to fifth, while Australia’s Jess Bell was perfectly placed in third.

Early leader Tsegay had dropped like a stone from the group, and as Kipyegon kicked with 150m to go, none of her rivals for gold seemed to have an answer.

As the Kenyan accelerated away, it became a battle for the remaining medals. Welteji was in pole position for silver, but a burst from Hull and Bell saw the Ethiopian drop back to fourth in the finishing straight.

Bell in particularly was finishing strongly, and would have caught the Australian within a couple of meters.

Muir meanwhile had to settle for fifth - her tactics not paying off and leaving her with too much to do. But it was still an impressive run for the Scot, who set a personal best of 3:53.37.

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