Great Britain & Northern Ireland gain two medals in the women’s 800m, while a Kenyan took gold

Lillian Odira of Kenya seemingly came out of nowhere to win gold in the women’s 800 metre race at the 2025 World Athletics Championships.

The athletics world expected Keely Hodgkinson, the defending Olympic champion from Paris and two-time world championships silver medallist, to win. She finished third, behind Odira and fellow Brit Georgia Hunter Bell.

It was Kenya Mary Moraa, the 2023 Budapest World Athletics Championships gold medallist, who took the race lead early. She held it through 400m at 55.3 at the bell. It was here that Hodgkinson began to press to 625m. Hunter Bell went with her, and the two dropped Moraa, however, Odira came up on the outside to take the win.

Odira finished as though she were going for a jog in the park. Her winning time was a world championship record time of 1:54.62.

Hunter Bell edged out her compatriot and training partner to claim silver in a new PB of 1:54.90.

Hodgkinson was one-hundredth of a second further back to earn her third consecutive World Championship medal. At the same time, the result marked the first time two Brits have medalled at the same event at this competition since 2007 when Christine Ohuruogu and Nicola Sanders took 1-2 in the women’s World 400m final.

Hunter Bell said, “I thought I needed to show what I could do in the 800m, and I knew I would have to come into it fresh if I wanted to get a medal.

“Doing both is so hard, the competition is so good, I’m just really proud I put all my eggs in one basket. I’m just so happy with the fastest time I’ve ever run.”

Hodgkinson added, “I’m proud of both of us; we both got a medal. To get third in 1:54 and be consistent around after what I have been through this year, I’m really happy with. It’s not what I came here for, but I can’t be too disappointed.”

Odira did not compete from 2020 to 2022 and only participated in the 400m event in 2023. She began racing again in 2024 and moved up to the 800m. The 26-year-old dropped her best of 2:11.73 to below 2:00 in just one season, running as fast as 1:58.53 in 2024 to 1:56.52 in 2025, prior to the championships.

Hodgkinson suffered injury in 2024 after the Paris Olympic Games, which kept her from training opimally. She returned to form quickly, however, she had to run a near personal best to medal. Her best is the national record of 1:54.61.

Hunter Bell’s previous personal best was 1:56.82. Both Hodgkinson and Hunter Bell are coached by Trevor Painter.