Australian Athletics Championships: Jessica Hull adds 5000m to her 1500m victory run

Jessica Hull has produced a stellar double victory weekend at the national championships, taking out the 5000m a day after claiming the 1500m national title.

Olympic silver medallist Jessica Hull showed why she is one of the best middle-distance runners on the planet, adding the national 5000m title to go alongside her 1500m crown.

In an enthralling race with tactics playing a major role, Hull steamed over the top of the field in the final 100m to win in a championship record time of 15min02.74sec.

Once again it was Victorian Georgia Griffith, who had pushed Hull the previous evening in the 1500m final, who claimed second in a personal best 15:02.92sec.

Jessica Hull won the 5000m. Picture: Paul Kane/Getty Images

In the women’s high jump there was another Olympic medallist showing her class with Nicola Olyslagers having two attempts at a new Australian record of 2.05m.

Olyslagers, who won her second Olympic silver medal in Paris, won the national title with a 2.01m clearance before setting her sights on breaking her own national record of 2.03m.

Despite just missing both attempts Olyslagers was happy with her strategy.

“I wanted to be bold. I could have gone up to 2.02, 2.03 but I decide 2.05 and I have some business today,” she said.

Olympic bronze medallist Eleanor Patterson finished second with a clearance of 1.97m.

Nicola Olyslagers competes in the women's high jump final during the Australian Athletics Championships. Picture: COLIN MURTY / AFP

Olympic silver medallist challenged in 1500 metres at nationals

Olympic silver medallist Jessica Hull used all her guile and experience to add another national title to her expanding CV on Saturday night.

In a strangely run Australian championships 1500m final, the hero of the Paris Olympics was forced to take over with two laps remaining and then go flat out over the final 450m to claim the victory (4min 11.36sec) from a pair of Victorians, Sarah Billings (4:11.51) and Georgia Griffith (4:12.09).

She’s Done It Again 👑

The Queen of the 1500m delivers once more as Jessica Hull takes home another National Championship, her third in a row.

After an incredible last lap, she narrowly edges out Sarah Billings who came close with an inspiring run. From Jamaica to the… pic.twitter.com/48yNWMBlzs

— Australian Athletics (@AustralianAths) April 12, 2025

By contrast the men’s 1500m was a faster affair with 18-year-old Cameron Myers winning his first Australian title (3:34.39), holding off the challenges from reigning champion Adam Spencer (3:34.57) and Commonwealth champion Oliver Hoare (3:34.61) over the last 50m.

It has been a whirlwind few days for Hull who last weekend raced in Jamaica as part of the inaugural Grand Slam Track season. She arrived in Perth on Monday night via New York and Hong Kong, then raced in the heats on Thursday.

After the first half of the final was run at snail’s pace, Hull decided she’d had enough and took over which meant she had to dig deep down the home straight to fight off an inspired challenge from Billings.

Jessica Hull competes to wins the women's 1500m final during the Australian Athletics Championships. Picture: Colin Murty / AFP

“It was a very strange race,” Hull said. “In my mind I probably thought Linden (Hall) was going to take up the running, like experience suggested that and then in the first 200 she was boxed in on the rail pretty deep so I knew then it wasn’t going to be Linden.

“I thought no one else was going to go so then it was just buckle up for the last 450.

“Last week I realised that I just had to back my speed. My speed is better than I thought it was, so I just had to hold my nerve out there.

“I’ve got so much experience that I just backed myself to be the most composed amongst the tension in that pack because it was so tense, I could feel it out there.

Hull reacts after winning the women's 1500m final during the Australian Athletics Championships. Picture: Colin Murty / AFP

“So experience prevailed.”

Myers had a forgettable experience at last year’s national championships where he was overawed by Spencer and Hoare which then led to him not making the Paris Olympic team.

He was determined to right that wrong this year.

“Last year I was so disappointed coming off those champs and I really do think it fuelled me to get the best out of myself this year,” Myers said.

“Sometimes in this sport you really do need a disappointing experience to get yourself going and get yourself fired up again. That was so important for my development as an athlete and hopefully I can continue with that momentum I have got now.”

Originally published as Australian Athletics Championships: Jessica Hull adds 5000m to her 1500m victory run