Jessica Hull has made Australian sporting history, winning the country’s first ever medal in the 1500m at a World Athletics Championships.
Holding onto third place, Hull clinched the bronze medal in Tokyo, with the next runner, Nelly Chepchirchir, from Kenya, coming just 0.09 seconds behind her. Hull’s official time was 3:55.16.
The Kenyan legend Faith Kipyegon took first place, her fourth time in a row, and Kenyan runner Dorcus Ewoi won silver.
“There was a lot of fight that went into that one,” Hull told Australian Track and Field media after the race.
“I feel like the whole year has been a bit of a fight, and then to sort of get out there and have to fight for every metre of it in the end there… almost lost it to a Kenyan sweep, so to just hang on… yeah, I’m really proud of that one.”
Hull said that with 250 meters to go in the race, she could see Kipyegon pulling away, and her mind was focused on not losing a medal.
A couple weeks ago, in Zurich, Hull was run down in the final metres of the women’s 1,500m at the Diamond League finals. Hull had lost by just 0.03 seconds to Chepchirchir in that race, so she told reporters she was determined to not let that be repeated in Tokyo.
“The wheels really came off in Zurich, but to be able to talk myself through it tonight and into that semi final, and know I was okay and hang on for that medal was a huge step,” Hull said. “It’s not easy to medal at these championships, and I think I’m just reminded of that every time.”
Born in Wollongong, Hull’s legacy in Australia and around the world is as a middle distance queen.
She won an Olympic silver medal in an Australian record 1500m time in 2024 in Paris, and she broke the 2000m world record that same year.
Before this latest history-making moment in Tokyo, Hull had already set 23 Australian records, six in Olympic events and 17 in other distances and indoors. She’s coached by her father, Simon, who was a junior national level middle-distance runner.
Hull’s next race will be in the 800m heats starting on Thursday morning, where she’s said the pressure feels lighter following her bronze medal win.
“For me, that’s what 800 is about, is just see how far I can go with it and just enjoy it,” she told reporters.
“The 15 [hundred] is business, it’s my baby, but the eight [hundred] is a bit of a free swing to just go and enjoy.”