She has gone from hunter to hunted, but Georgia Hunter Bell continues to prove that athletics life can begin at 30.

Since leaving her twenties and finally committing full-time to track and field, the 32-year-old has won Olympic bronze, world and European silver, and now Commonwealth Games gold.

Lilian Odira was a surprise champion over two laps in Tokyo last year, but Hunter Bell got her front-running tactics spot on at Scotstoun to claim her first major outdoor title.

Odira spent most of the race running the scenic route in lane two; Hunter Bell simply took the high road to the top of the podium. She clocked 1:59.51 to win by more than a second, with Odira taking silver and Australia's Sarah Billings completing the medals.

After walking away from her Olympic dream in her early twenties, Hunter Bell swapped gruelling training sessions for a normal life.

The aspiring athlete threw herself into a career in cyber-security tech sales, enjoyed after-work drinks, takeaways and weekends away. She exercised. Occasionally.

But she couldn't stay away from sport forever. A casual return to fitness through cycling soon reignited her competitive fire before Parkrun lured her back into serious running.

She calls it a 'comeback story', which seems to undersell it. She watched Keely Hodgkinson – coached by Hunter Bell's former mentor, Trevor Painter – win Olympic silver in Tokyo, clocked 16 minutes at a local Parkrun and gave her old coach a call.

"Leaving work two years ago really was a sliding-doors moment. It turned out to be the best decision I could have made," said Hunter Bell.

"I know a lot of athletes think about themselves as a child when they're standing on the podium. I actually think more about myself at 23 or 24, when I'd almost given up and didn't really know what I was doing with my life.

"I feel sorry for that version of me, but also incredibly proud that I came through it and found my way back here. That's what makes me emotional.

"It's been an amazing couple of years. I try to remember that every time I go out. In some ways, I don't think anything will ever feel as easy as 2024 because there was no pressure. Everything felt exciting and new.

"Every year since has become harder because expectations grow, and you have to learn how to deal with that pressure. I'm still learning, but it's been incredible and I feel like there's a lot more to come."

Hunter Bell's calmness, no matter how hot the furnace of competition, seems to be her superpower. She, Painter and coach Jenny Meadows had discussed how the race might unfold but never expected she'd have to lead from the front. When those plans changed, she adapted seamlessly, crossing the line in isolation more than a second ahead of Odira.

"The race didn't go exactly to plan because I never expected to hit the front so early and lead the whole way," she added.

"I wanted to take the lead with about 200 metres to go but, once I found myself at the front, I decided to control the pace, keep it relaxed and not go too fast. Then, when I felt people making their move, I knew I'd be ready to respond."

She will now reset her sights on the forthcoming European Championships in Birmingham, where she'll step up to the 1500m, deftly dancing around a showdown with training partner Hodgkinson, the Olympic champion.

She has won six major medals, indoors and outdoors, in a little over two years. It would be foolish to think another won't soon follow.

"I've never done a Commonwealth Games before, so I really wanted the experience and the opportunity to compete for medals," she added.

"Every athlete is different. I had to pull out of London a couple of weeks ago because I was ill, and you can make all the plans you like, but you have to adapt as the season unfolds. I wanted to be here and I'm really happy that I recovered in time.”

Sportsbeat 2026/James Toney