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British 800-metre runner, Alexandra Bell, has been named captain of the British team competing in the European Cross Country Championships.

She has had a strong year, finishing seventh in the Tokyo Olympic Games. The Pudsey and Bramley club member lowered her personal best to 1:57.66 during that final. The performance moves the 29-year-old to sixth on the UK all-time standings.

In September she lowered her 1500m best to 4:07.06.

Apparently, to enjoy a sense of normalcy in her life after Tokyo, she went back to her old day job of selling shoes for a living. Back, to the athletics limelight she goes.

This weekend, she will race as part of the senior mixed relay team as she looks to match her gold-medal-winning run at the championships two years ago in Lisbon.

Bell joins Luke Duffy (Richard Massey, Mansfield), Hannah Nuttall (John Nuttall, Charnwood) and Benjamin West (Kyle Bennett, Milton Keynes Distance Project) in the quartet for the championships in Fingal-Dublin, Ireland.

On receiving the captaincy, Bell said, “It is a huge honour to be selected as team captain. It is as special to me as the first time I received my British vest. I am so happy that I have been nominated to take on this role at this championship, and I’m really looking forward to being a part of this team in Fingal-Dublin.”

On the mixed relay, she added, “It is a really exciting race to be a part of. Year on year we are seeing more and more teams getting involved and they are getting stronger. We are getting stronger too, you can see that by the number of people competing in the trial in Liverpool.

“The race will be one of the highlights of the weekend, anything can happen in the race and every leg counts.”

Team Leader, Chris Jonesadded, “Alex has enjoyed a stellar season on the track, and we are delighted to have her as an important part of the British team in Fingal-Dublin. She has shown in the past that she is a strong racer on the cross country terrain, and she’ll be looking to lead the British team to the medal places like she did in Portugal in 2019.”

“It is a great honour to captain a British team, and I know she will do a fantastic job in bringing together this squad during the Championships.”

Read: European Athletics breakdown of the top performances at this weekend’s meet>>

The European Cross Country Championships will be broadcast on the BBC Red Button and BBC iPlayer between 10:00-15:00 on Sunday 12 December. A highlights program will be available between 18:00-19:00 on the BBC Red Button.

The British team for the European Cross Country Championships in Fingal-Dublin, Ireland on Sunday, Dec. 12.