Newly crowned world indoor 1500m champion Georgia Hunter Bell is heading straight to her first outdoor competition of the year at the Maurie Plant Classic in Melbourne, Australia on Saturday (28).
Having won her first global title in Kujawy Pomorze on Sunday (22), the British runner will take on a strong Australian contingent, including sub-4:00 athletes Sarah Billings, Abbey Caldwell, Linden Hall and Claudia Hollingsworth. They are joined by Ireland’s former European U23 champion Sophie O’Sullivan and the Netherlands’ European 10,000m silver medallist Diane van Es.
Hunter Bell, who made a full-time return to the sport in 2024, has developed a reputation for a prolific racing schedule. She competed 26 times in 2024 and has already taken to the start line on 25 occasions this year.
It is an approach that has worked for the 32-year-old, who has secured Olympic 1500m bronze, European 1500m silver, world indoor 1500m bronze and world 800m silver, alongside her most recent success in Poland last weekend.
Osakue, Okoye, Farken and Fay also set for Melbourne
Also competing in Melbourne are Italian Olympic finalist Daisy Osakue and Great Britain’s 2022 European bronze medallist Lawrence Okoye in the women’s and men’s discus respectively.
World and European finalist Robert Farken of Germany lines up in the men’s 1500m while multiple Irish champion Brian Fay is also set to compete over 3000m in the first World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meeting of the year.