Georgia Hunter Bell wins women's 1500m European gold in Birmingham in 4:07.78

Georgia Hunter Bell won the women’s 1500 metres at the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham on 16 August 2026, finishing in 4:07.78. She broke clear on the final lap to secure the title.

Hunter Bell added the European crown to a run of major victories this summer, having taken 1500m gold at the world indoor championships in March and the 800m at the Commonwealth Games last month. “That last 150 is always my favourite part of the race,” said Hunter Bell. “And it was really nice to come down the home stretch and know that I had it. “It’s so special, another gold this year. I am really hoping to make it four in September,” she said, talking about her appearance at the Ultimate Championships in Budapest. “There is still a lot left of the season,” she added.

The final unfolded as a slow, tactical affair until Hunter Bell accelerated on the last lap, covering the final 400m in 58.44secs and finishing about 10 metres clear; she applauded herself as she crossed the line. Her closing speed produced the winning 4:07.78 and left her with clear separation from the chasing field.

Klaudia Kazimierska of Poland finished just over a second behind Hunter Bell to claim silver, while Patricia Silva of Portugal took a surprise bronze.

Britain added further medals on the same night as Jazmin Sawyers recorded an outdoor best of 6.99m to take long jump silver, one centimetre short of Italy’s Larissa Iapichino who jumped seven metres; France’s Hilary Kpatcha finished on 6.98m. Another silver followed for Britain in the women’s 4x400m, with the Netherlands winning the event thanks to an anchor leg from Femke Broeders-Bol.

As the championships concluded, Jack Buckner, chief executive of UK Athletics, described the event as a huge success and said the sport had cut through into the mainstream. “Everyone is absolutely delighted with the BBC numbers,” he said. “I heard it was 3.8m but that was without iPlayer. So they’ve been talking over four million on Friday night, which is really strong. So we are absolutely delighted and everyone is buzzing.” He also singled out emerging athletes, saying: “Another star emerged here in Amy Hunt, which is fantastic for the sport.”

Buckner suggested Britain may consider bidding to host again and pointed to the rebuilt stadium at Crystal Palace as a potential option. He defended early ticket-sale figures, saying: “In the buildup we did work with schools and we did work with community groups, and overall we’ve sold 73% of the tickets,” and added: “We’ve sold out the last four days so it’s been a world-class ­ticketing result but we want better.”

Hunter Bell said she still has plans for the rest of the season, including a paced 800m she expects to run, and reiterated her aim to compete at the Ultimate Championships in Budapest in September. “I haven’t done a paced 800m yet, I have one coming up with the speedy girls. I am really excited to throw my hat into the ring there,” she said.