But Hunter Bell hopes that is just the start, with this her first year as a full-time athlete after she left her cybersecurity job of seven years following a summer sabbatical to pursue her Olympic dream.
It is a seismic change – one which she says has left her “still pinching myself”.
Back under the guidance of her former coach Trevor Painter and Jenny Meadows, herself a world 800m medallist, Hunter Bell has rapidly established herself among the world’s best middle-distance runners.
Under the husband-and-wife team, Hunter Bell added world indoor 1500m bronze in March – while she says she is also grateful for her “hard lesson” at the European indoors, where she started favourite but missed out on a medal.
“Originally, Trev believed he could make me into a world-class 800m athlete. He always said that,” explains Hunter Bell.
“This year we were just doing the normal 1500 training but, when we got to the speed stuff, Trevor and Jen were flagging that I was looking a lot better in that.”
An English Schools and British Universities champion, Hunter Bell achieved impressive Diamond League 800m wins in Stockholm and London this season.
Having witnessed first hand – and assisted in – Hodgkinson’s recovery from the hamstring injuries which have kept her out this year, Hunter Bell always expected her team-mate to be back to her best for the championships when making her final decision.
“She has dealt with it really well,” Hunter Bell says on Hodgkinson’s challenging year.
“Whenever anyone gets an injury it can be really tough. It’s just about trying to make it as positive as possible, while also being realistic, and as a team we’ve all just tried to be really supportive.”
On handling the potentially awkward issue of two athletes in the same training group targeting the same gold, she adds: “Trev and Jenny are very jokey, they keep the training environment fun. But obviously, when we step on the track, it’s all business.
“They will always advise what they think is best for the individual athlete and then let the chips fall where they may.
“We’re very lucky to be being led by them.”
