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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Sport
Sean Ingle

‘There’s a dark side’: 1500m star Georgia Hunter Bell calls for online abuse to stop

Georgia Hunter Bell of Great Britain competes in the Women's 1500m Final during day two of the 2024 UK Athletics Indoor Championships
Georgia Hunter Bell said she no longer checks social media during the day of a race. Photograph: Sam Mellish/Getty Images

Georgia Hunter Bell, Britain’s Olympic 1500m bronze medallist, has revealed she no longer goes online before her races because of the “really dark side of social media”. Eilish McColgan was subject to a wave of body shaming abuse this week with people posting that she “looks like a skeleton” and had anorexia, and Hunter Bell called for more to be done to protect sportswomen.

The 31-year-old was one of the feelgood stories of 2024 as she went from her full-time job in cybersecurity to the podium in Paris, smashing the British 1500m record by running 3min 52.61sec along the way. But she said her success has led to her being targeted more.

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