Georgia Hunter Bell is eyeing an ambitious sweep of gold medals in 2026 after winning the 800m Commonwealth Games title in Glasgow.
Hunter Bell dominated the field to add Commonwealth gold to the 1500m world indoor title she won earlier this year in Poland.
The 32-year-old England athlete will also race at next month's European Championships and the inaugural Ultimate Championships in September. Her sights are set on making it a Glasgow triple.
Hunter Bell is blossoming later in her career, having taken five years out from the sport before returning during the Covid-19 pandemic.
She took 1500m bronze at the Paris Olympics and pipped 800m Olympic champion Keely Hodgkinson to silver at last year's World Championships in the 800m.
Hunter Bell's first outdoor title is a significant milestone in her career, and she has expressed her excitement about the achievement.
"Every medal is a landmark moment but my first outdoor gold is huge," she said.
Hunter Bell and Kenya's world champion Lilian Odira were the favourites for this title after Hodgkinson opted not to compete.
The final was barely a contest with Hunter Bell setting the pace and then kicking on with 200m to go to win by more than a second.
Hodgkinson has instead taken time off before the European Championships in Birmingham, which start on 10 August. Hunter Bell is only running in the 1500m in that event, denying the chance to see an intriguing race between the pair.
Though she said the win validates her decision to come to Glasgow, Hunter Bell defended the decision of others to withdraw.
"Dina Asher-Smith, Katarina Johnson-Thompson, and Matt Hudson-Smith have been other high-profile English absentees," she said.
Hunter Bell acknowledged that every athlete's decision is different, citing her own experience of having to pull out of London due to illness.
"We want to be healthy and racing at all times," she said.
The win is a significant boost for Hunter Bell's ambitions, and she is now looking to build on this momentum in the lead-up to the European Championships.
She will face stiff competition in the 1500m, but her confidence is high after her convincing win in the 800m.
The European Championships will be a key test of Hunter Bell's abilities, and she will be looking to add to her medal haul.
Source: BBC Sports