Tokyo Olympics: Alexandra Bell proves her point with personal best in 800m final

Cameras were fixed on gold medallist Athing Mu and Britain’s Keely Hodgkinson winning silver but behind them the Leeds star produced a lifetime best of 1:57.66.

Bell has made clear her anger at never being accepted to the UK Athletics world-class programme and in producing a truly world-class performance, spoke louder than words ever could.

“I’ve proven people wrong tonight but most important I’ve proven myself right,” said the 28-year-old.

“I think that’s the main thing I need to take away from this, I knew all along what I was capable of, it’s just a shame that a lot of other people couldn’t see that as well.”

On the prospect of gaining funding on the back of the display: “I have no expectations anymore.

“I’ve come so far relying on myself, I’ve literally got this far relying on myself, I’ve got nothing to say on that matter anymore.”

The Yorkshire star looked to be losing ground on the back straight but produced a strong final surge.

“When I was running I had no idea about the splits or the times,” said Bell.

“After the first 200m I was out the back door and I thought the legs had come off already, so when I crossed the line and I saw the actual time flash up on the board, I was so surprised.”

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