Gourley & Hunter Bell Clinch Historic 1500m Medals at World Indoor Championships 2025

Britain Shines at World Indoor Championships

On the thrilling final day of the 2025 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Nanjing, China, British athletes delivered standout performances in the highly competitive 1500m events.

Gourley's Tactical Silver

Team captain Neil Gourley executed a perfect race strategy to claim silver in the men's 1500m, clocking 3:39.07 behind Norway's dominant Jakob Ingebrigtsen (3:38.79). The 30-year-old Scot meticulously shadowed the Olympic champion throughout the race, demonstrating remarkable tactical awareness.

"It was a case of 'if you can't beat him, join him'. I fed off his momentum but left just slightly too much to do in the final straight," Gourley told BBC Sport after securing his first world championship medal.

Hunter Bell's Redemptive Bronze

In the women's event, Georgia Hunter Bell bounced back from recent disappointment to clock a personal best 3:59.84 for bronze. The former cyber security professional held off Australia's Georgia Griffith in a thrilling finish behind Ethiopia's Gudaf Tsegay, who successfully defended her title in a championship record 3:54.86.

"This absolutely feels like redemption after the European Indoors," said an emotional Hunter Bell. "I'm proud of how I came back strong when it mattered most."

Championship Highlights

• Historic Double: Ingebrigtsen became only the second man ever (after Haile Gebrselassie) to complete the 1500m/3000m double at World Indoors
• British Medal Haul: GB finished with four medals including golds for Jeremiah Azu (60m) and Amber Anning (400m)
• Coming of Age: Hunter Bell's bronze marked her second global medal after switching to full-time athletics just one year ago

Looking Ahead

The championships set the stage for an exciting outdoor season building toward September's World Championships in Tokyo. British athletes will look to build on this momentum as they prepare for the Paris Olympics qualification period.

Stat Spotlight

• 19: International gold medals now won by Jakob Ingebrigtsen
• 0.26: Seconds by which Hunter Bell missed Laura Muir's British record
• 4: Consecutive global championship medals for GB in women's middle-distance events