Aussie Jessica Hull shatters record in major Olympics statement
Australian middle distance runner Jessica Hill has smashed an athletics record, announcing herself as an Olympic medal contender.
Australia’s Jessica Hull has broken the national record in the 1500m at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Oregon this weekend.
Hull became the first Australian woman to dip under the 3:56 barrier — stopping the clock at 3:55.97 at the Diamond League event.
The 27-year-old finished second in the race behind Ethiopia’s Diribe Welteji.
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Hull was strong from the gun to the finish line as she took on a field with 12 sub four-minute women – marking herself as a contender for her maiden Olympic medal in Paris.
Biding her time to make her move, Hull surged with 200m to go and held off the USA’s Elle St. Pierre and Laura Muir (GBR) for second place.
Fellow Aussie Linden Hall, who previously held the national record (3:56.92), finished in 12th place in a time of 4:01.97.
Hull was pleased with her run and said she would need to post 3:55s regularly to be in contention for an Olympic medal.
“It’s a great confidence booster for Paris,” Hull said.
“I was so consistent last year at 3:57 and that got me seventh in Budapest.
“If I look at the landscape of the sport and look at the times that I would need to medal, I need to be consistent at that mid to low 3:50s, so getting a 3:55 on the board today gives me confidence and I think we will find a little bit more throughout the season.
“I was feeling really good out there. I think I knew I had a fast time in me but I didn’t want to put a number on it because I didn’t want to be clock watching and if I had a time in mind, I would calculate the splits when I was out there and I can’t be in the habit of that.
“Having come close to the win in Doha, I thought I’d just stick to the race plan that would set me up to win and if I was able to pull that off today, I knew I’d have to run a very fast time to do it.
“I focused on what I needed to do to race the race and I think that’s something that I will carry forward with me.”
Hull’s time is the 26th fastest time over the distance in history and the fifth fastest time recorded this year.
In the men’s 1500m, Australia’s Ollie Hoare and Cameron Myers posted Olympic qualifiers.
Commonwealth Games gold medallist Hoare raced to ninth place in 3:49.11, marking his return to form after a year checkered with injury and became the fourth Australian man qualified for the 1500m in Paris alongside Myers, Stewart McSweyn and Adam Spencer.
At only 17 years of age, Myers too bolstered his campaign for Paris, finishing in 11th place in a time of 3:50.15 – for his third Olympic qualifier.
Australia’s depth in middle distance events is incredibly strong, but the sprinting stocks are coming along very nicely too.
Earlier this month, the women’s 4x100m relay team booked their spot at the Olympics after the quartet of Ebony Lane, Bree Masters, Ella Connolly and Torrie Lewis broke the national record twice in qualifying.
It means Australia will have a relay team represented in the event at the Olympics for the first time since Sydney 2000.
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