TOKYO – Nine days of competition at the World Athletics Championships came to an end Sunday as a pair of Cal alumni – Georgia Hunter-Bell of Great Britain and Mykolas Alekna of Lithuania – battled rainy conditions against the World's best at Tokyo's National Stadium to join fellow Golden Bear graduate Camryn Rogers as podium finishers. Both Hunter Bell (the 2024 Olympic bronze medalist in the 1500m) and Alekna (the 2024 Olympic silver medalist in the discus) claimed silver medals their respective events, with the former opting to compete in the 800m instead of her usual 1500m.
 
Hunter Bell's time of 1:54.90 was the ninth-fastest in World history and one of a historic three sub-1:55 performances in the race. The win went to Kenyan Lilian Odira, who utilized a tremendous kick in the final 100 meters to surge from fourth to first and become the seventh-fastest woman all-time in the event with a Championship-record time of 1:54.62. Hunter Bell stayed in the middle of the pack throughout the first lap, moving into medal position at the 500-meter split and advancing to second in the last 200 meters, fending off British teammate and reigning Olympic champion Keely Hodgkinson (1:54.91) at the finish line. It was the best finish in the event by a Cal athlete past or present at the World Championships, surpassing Alysia Montaño's third-place effort in 2010, and is Hunter Bell's first outdoor World Championships medal and second overall after winning 1500m bronze at the World Indoor Championships earlier this year.
 
The discus competition was delayed by two hours due to a veritable downpour, with only Alekna's first-round mark of 62.91m (206-4) being registered before the event was suspended. The circle remained slippery after competition remained, with several athletes barely managing to keep their feet and some changing footwear in an attempt to navigate the challenging environment. Alekna's best throw of the night was his second, which sailed 67.84m (222-7) and gave him the lead for most of the competition; however, two-time World champion Daniel Ståhl had settled in and was steadily gaining position, sitting in second with a mark of 67.47m (221-4). The towering Swede gave a deep bow to the crowd of fans who had remained well into the night before launching a monstrous toss of 70.47m (231-2), a season best, to win his third World title. Samoan Alex Rose took third with a mark of 66.96m (219-8) to earn the first global medal in any event for his country.
 
Alekna was the top finisher of three Lithuanians competing in the final, a group that included his older brother Martynas Alekna (seventh, 63.34m/207-9) and Andrius Gudžius, the latter of whom withdrew after his fourth throw due to the conditions of the circle. He is the only man to have reached a global podium in each of the past four years, including the past two World Championships (2022 – second; 2023 – third) and last year's Olympics.
 
 
World Athletics Championships – Women's 800m Final Results
1. Lilian Odira (Kenya) 1:54.62 – No. 7 all-time, Championship Record
2. Georgia Hunter Bell (Great Britain) 1:54.90 – No. 9 all-time
3. Kelly Hodgkinson (Great Britain) 1:54.91
4. Sarah Moraa (Kenya) 1:55.74
5. Sage Hurta-Klecker (USA) 1:55.89
6. Audrey Werro (Switzerland) 1:56.17
7. Mary Moraa (Kenya) 1:57.10
8. Jessica Hull (Australia) 1:57.30
 
Men's Discus Final Results
1. Daniel Ståhl (Sweden) 70.47m/231-2
2. Mykolas Alekna (Lithuania) 67.84m/222-7
3. Alex Rose (Samoa) 66.96m/219-8
4. Matthew Denny (Australia) 65.57m/215-1
5. Mario Albero Díaz (Cuba) 64.71m/212-3
6. Andrius Gudžius (Lithuania) 63.43m/208-1
7. Martynas Alekna (Lithuania) 63.34m/207-9
8. Kristjan Čeh (Slovenia) 63.07m/206-11
9. Lukas Weißhaidinger (Austria) 62.26m/204-3
10. Connor Bell (New Zealand) 59.97m/196-9
11. Mika Sosna (Germany) 58.60m/192-3
- Henrik Janssen (Germany) NM
 
All California Finishes
Women's 800m Final – 2. Georgia Hunter Bell (Great Britain) 1:54.90
Men's Discus Final – 2. Mykolas Alekna (Lithuania) 67.84m/222-7
Women's Discus Qualifier – 26. Caisa-Marie Lindfors (Sweden) 58.06m/190-6
Men's Hammer Qualifier – 16. Rowan Hamilton 75.38m/247-3
Women's Hammer Final – 1. Camryn Rogers (Canada) 80.51m/264-1
Women's Hammer Qualifier – 18. Anna Purchase (Great Britain) 69.35m/227-6
 
                                                                                                                                                                            
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