Georgia Bell: 'It’s easy to have big dreams as a kid. Way harder as an adult.'

"Never, ever, give up."

That's what we're always told, right?

Never lose sight of your dreams.

Well, if you want a story that truly encompasses what that means, look no further than British athlete Georgia Bell.

A stand-out runner from a young age, a plethora of injuries curtailed her progress in athletics until she finally stepped away from the track while studying at the University of California.

Post-university, Bell worked full-time in Artificial Intelligence, plodding along in a 9-5 job.

Until the COVID-19 pandemic hit.

Like so many others, she took up running again during lockdown to keep herself mentally and physically fit, joining the local social meet-up run, parkrun.

Not like so many others, that path has taken Bell to the verge of being selected for the Olympic Games Paris 2024, which starts 26 July, after her times just started getting better and better, resulting in European silver in early June.

The 30-year-old's final chance to showcase her form for selectors ahead of the XXXIII Olympiad will come at the UK Athletics Championships and Olympic Trials in Manchester from 29-30 June, where a stack of British track & field stars will be competing.

Olympics.com spoke to Bell about her journey at the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Glasgow in March, the middle-distance runner buzzing after claiming a place in the final.

• 2024 UK Athletics Championships Manchester: Preview, schedule and how to watch

* As National Olympic Committees have the exclusive authority for the representation of their respective countries at the Olympic Games, athletes' participation at the Paris Games depends on their NOC selecting them to represent their delegation at Paris 2024. Click here to see the official qualification system for each sport.

Georgia Bell learning fast on international stage

Breathing heavily, heart racing, brain whirring, Bell begins the interview by dissecting her just-run 1500m semi-final.

"I'm happy with how it went," she grinned. "Looking at that race, there are a lot of big names, so I thought someone might take it out fast. That did happen, which I was happy about. The goal was just to make a move with, like, two laps to go, to be in a good position. I got up too early, so I'll learn that lesson to not do that again in the final, but I'm really happy."

Lesson learned, Bell went on to claim fourth place in front of an exuberant crowd and in a stacked field behind gold medallist Freweyni Hailu of Ethiopia, and the US pair of Nikki Hiltz – the 2019 PanAm Games champion, and Emily Mackay, the continental championships bronze medallist in 2023. She was also ahead of world silver medallist in the distance, Diribe Welteji of Ethiopia who finished fifth.

Very different to the amateur parkrun vibe, then.

"It is different to parkrun," Bell laughed. "It's such a special occasion. I might not ever get it again, to be in front of the home crowd, and I just tried to use the energy for a positive way rather than getting nervous.

"Everyone in the stadium wanted me to do well, so, yeah, I loved it."

It's your first world-level event, did you even think you'd be in contention for a medal so soon?

"I mean, considering I completely stopped track after college back in whenever it was like 2016 or 2017, never set foot on the track... I definitely didn't think I'd be here at a world championship in front of a home crowd. So, yeah, life is crazy."

Even crazier for Bell is that she also works full-time in cyber security, helping organisations understand how their business is being targeted, and therefore what preventative measures need implementing.

Training twice a day, morning and evening, plus working a desk job all day – you must be mentally and physically shattered by day's end.

"I am completely knackered, but I do feel like it's nice, you know, I sit in front of the computer all day then I really look forward to training in the evening, like it's a release. I really look forward to racing as well.

"In a way, if I was just sitting at home all day and then I was just training at the end of the day, I don't know if it would be the same. But I'd certainly like to have a bit more time!"

Revealing she's in bed by 9 p.m. most nights, the start time for the final proved amusing: "It's going to be interesting racing at 9:45 p.m.," she smiled.

Describing life with her partner at home as a " lively household", things have changed rapidly for both over the past few years. "He wasn't a runner," Bell says of her boyfriend, "but he's got very quickly assimilated into the running chat and races and everything."

The pair of them also find themselves in the orbit of one of GB's Olympic gold-medal hopes in Paris, Keely Hodgkinson, the silver medallist at two world championships, and at Tokyo 2020, in the 800m.

The pair share the same coaches in Trevor Painter and Jenny Meadows, with Bell getting in touch with her original coach when she was starting to see some good times.

“I know Trevor always said to Jenny that I was the one that got away when I went to California,” Bell told the Guardian. “He really wanted me to stay, and for us to work together, and so I think he was happy when I got back in touch."

Happier still with the results from the partnership no doubt, but there's a very simple tip Painter always leaves Bell with as she heads to the track.

"Go and have some fun, kid."

• Olympic Games Paris 2024: Full schedule and day-by-day competitions

Georgia Bell: 'Somewhere in adulthood, I found my way back to the track'

We'll leave you with words from the woman herself, posted on Instagram alongside a photo of her younger self with a trophy before swiping to a second photo with her European silver medal.

Bell writes:

"It’s easy to have big dreams when you’re a kid.
Way harder when you become an adult.

Most people give up their passions for responsibilities, bills, work etc.

I was the same.
I gave up on my track dreams when I graduated college.
It seemed foolish to keep trying given my performances and mentality to the sport.

But somewhere in adulthood, I found my way back.

I started heading down to the track after work, just because I loved it.
I kept showing up.
I got in contact with my old coach.
I started entering races again.

And now, the dreams are getting bigger and closer than that little kid could have imagined.

Reminder: It’s never too late to go back to something you love. Who knows where it could take you ✨"