Team GB star upgraded to silver medal as rival banned by CAS for two years
A Team GB star is set to have her medal upgraded to a silver after CAS (Court of Arbitration for Sport) issued a ban for an athlete who committed an anti-doping violation.
Georgia Hunter Bell won a bronze medal at the Paris Olympics in 2024 in the 1500 metres and picked up a silver in the same distance at the World Championships last year.
The 32-year-old also took a bronze in the World Indoor Championships in Nanjing, China and ran a 1500m indoor personal best.
However, that result has now been changed just over a year on following controversy involving Diribe Welteji of Ethopia.
Advert
Welteji came second to compatriot Gudaf Tsegay in her signature event in March but failed to provide a sample to doping control officers who arrived at her home.
They were conducting an out-of-competition test but Welteji's husband had informed the officers that she was asleep.
As per Running Magazine, no sample was collected and after it was deemed there was no valid reason, Welteji was provisionally suspended by the Ethiopian National Anti-Doping Office a few months later in July.
The ban was overturned following a decision from a disciplinary panel, with Welteji claiming that there was a language barrier between her husband and the officers.
World Athletics appealed the verdict to the Court of Arbitration for Sport and pushed for a four-year ban.
In the end, it was ruled that a two-year ban was the correct level of punishment, with Welteji deemed to have have acted negligently.
The sanction means all of the 23-year-old results from February 25 2025 have been voided, including her 1,500m personal best of 3:51.44 at the 2025 Prefontaine Classic.
The silver medal from the World Indoor Championships is also poised to be wiped, with Bell taking second and Australia’s Georgia Griffith claiming bronze for her first ever individual medal after being bumped up from fourth.
Welteji is banned from competing until 30 June 2027.
Josh Lawless