Georgia Hunter-Bell and Keely Hodgkinson both finished second in their respective finals at the World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest. The former finished second in the 1500m behind Poland’s Klaudia Kazimierska, while Hodgkinson was, as has often been the case this season, beaten by Switzerland’s Audrey Werro in the 800m.
Two silver medals to round off a demanding season
Georgia Hunter-Bell had to wait a long time before being able to challenge for victory in a fiercely contested 1500m final. Having remained in the pack for most of the race, the Briton was still in sixth place when the bell rang. She gradually moved through the field over the final lap before making her move down the home straight. With a final lap of 57.36 seconds, Hunter-Bell closed on Klaudia Kazimierska over the final 100 metres. The Pole, fresh from winning the Diamond League Final in Brussels, nevertheless had enough left in the tank to win in 3:57.55, with the Briton clocking 3:57.72.
This second-place finish nevertheless rounds off an exceptional season for Hunter-Bell. The Briton had already won three major titles in 2026, at the World Indoor Championships, the European Championships and the Commonwealth Games, while also racking up races on the Diamond League circuit. The density of her schedule also illustrates the difficulty of this late stage of the season for British athletes. Hunter-Bell had already raced 20 times in 2026 before finishing second in Budapest, winning 14 of those races, while her fourth-place finish at the Diamond League Final in Brussels had shown the first signs of fatigue.
A few moments later, Keely Hodgkinson experienced a different scenario but reached the same conclusion. The Briton tried to stay in touch with Audrey Werro from the opening metres, before the Swiss athlete gradually began to pull away. Werro eventually won in 1:55.88, ahead of Hodgkinson in 1:56.26, who managed to claw back some of the deficit over the final 100 metres, and Femke Bol in 1:56.74. For Hodgkinson, this silver medal rounds off a season that has not been straightforward. The reigning Olympic champion and world indoor champion at the start of the year, when she also broke the indoor world record for the event, she then suffered an injury and chose not to compete in the Diamond League Final as a precaution. Her return in Budapest therefore allows her to finish the season on the podium in a race that brought together the three leading figures in the women’s 800m at present.
These two medals, and this championship in general, bring an end to the long season for British athletes. The athletes have had to compete in Diamond League meetings throughout the year, with two major events taking place amid those fixtures: the Commonwealth Games and the European Championships. Hodgkinson was not involved in the Commonwealth Games, but the density of the schedule has taken its toll on part of the British delegation.
The opening day had already produced two podium finishes for the United Kingdom. Jazmin Sawyers took second place in the long jump with 6.78m, thanks to her final attempt, which moved her from fourth to second. The British mixed 4x100m relay also claimed bronze in 40.26, behind the United States and Jamaica.
There is now one final genuine chance of a British victory in Budapest. Josh Kerr will compete this Sunday in the 1500m in an exceptional final, with reigning Olympic and world champions Cole Hocker and Isaac Nader also in the field, while the race will also be marked by Ingebrigtsen’s withdrawal. The Briton arrives with the fastest time in the world this year, 3:27.62, set in London during his mile world record, and will have the opportunity to end the season with another major title.
