Tokyo Olympics: Jessica Hull to debut, Kelsey-Lee Barber, Dane Bird-Smith, on athletics team
It’s hard to top a week where you break an 18-year-old Australian record and set a PB but Tokyo bound athlete Jessica Hull just has.
Local Sport
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One life changing moment gets the heart racing but middle distance runner Jessica Hull has had three in the last few weeks.
News of her selection to her first Olympic Games comes in the wake of a stunning performance in Europe just a week ago.
And it follows on from the young runner from Albion Park becoming engaged to partner Daniel Joliffe - something she said came out of the blue.
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Hull, in Sweden preparing to race this weekend, had her position on the flight to Tokyo next year confirmed on Thursday morning with the distance runner one of five athletes named onto the Australian Olympic team.
“It gives me goosebumps to think about Tokyo,” said Hull, who is currently in Europe racing and training after spending most of the coronavirus interrupted 2020 season in Australia.
“While we have to wait another year, it will increase the build-up and heighten the emotion, we’re going to be so happy when we get out there. It’s a childhood dream and now I know I’ll be there in Tokyo.”.
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The 23-year-old was confirmed on the team just a week after a stunning performance in Europe saw her break the Australian 5000m record that has stood since 2002 when she ran 14.43.8 in her first race back at the Diamond League.
It was an Australian record by 3.8 seconds, a new NSW mark, and saw her become the first Australian women’s national record in a distance event from 3000m plus for 14 years.
“You don’t grow by going out and running perfect races – I think repeat exposure to situations that are very challenging to me is crucial,” she said in the wake of the top result last week.
“It’s the culmination of so much consistent hard work and continual belief that eventually there’ll be a chance to showcase what I’m doing in training.
“This is the opportunity I’ve been waiting for and I’m not going to waste it.”
Hull said she has learned valuable lessons about herself during the coronavirus pandemic.
“The biggest thing the past few months has showed me – through lockdown and quarantine, treadmill runs to just doing your part to stop the spread – we can achieve a lot more than we think we can,” she said.
“I was so lucky to have a lot of people around me back home who were willing to help out however they could.”
Hull was one of five athletes named to the Australian Olympic team on Thursday.
Reigning javelin world champion Kelsey-Lee Barber, Rio bronze medallist walker Dane Bird-Smith and Olympic debutants Stewart McSweyn (5000m and 10000m) and racewalker Jemima Montag were also named.