Tokyo: The bell rang and Jess Hull sensed movement at her right shoulder and twigged to what was going on.

Hull was on the inside sitting behind Kenya’s freakish star Faith Kipyegon. She was in prime position to just sit on her tail as she did when she won silver at the Paris Olympics last year and let her tow her to a medal.

Suddenly, Hull realised that wasn’t going to happen because at the bell for that final lap the race had clearly come down to a race in four, and Hull was the only one of those four not from Kenya. She realised as Nelly Chepchirchir loomed up on her side that a team plan was in place to block Hull in and safeguard a full podium of Kenyan medals.

Hull reacted quickly, delivered an elbow to Chepchirchir shoulder that would draw an appreciative nod from Toby Green. An

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