- Australian overtakes rival on final straight to secure result
- Medal was a first for Australian women in Olympic track
Jessica Hull has become the first Australian runner to win an Olympic medal in the 1500 metres, finishing a sensational second to Kenya’s legendary Faith Kipyegon at the Paris Olympics.
The 27-year-old from Hull was in third place with 100 metres to go but was able to overtake the dropping Ethiopian Diribe Welteji on the final straight to take silver in three minutes 52.56 seconds – her second-fastest time ever.
Kipyegon won her third consecutive Olympic title in the 1500 metres on Saturday in 3:51.29, while Britain’s Georgia Bell crossed the finish line first to take bronze.
It was the first time an Australian woman had won an Olympic medal in the track at a distance beyond 800 metres.
Since returning to Australia full-time a year ago, Hull has been coached by her father Simon, a former national middle-distance runner.
She previously lived in Oregon and was coached by Pete Julian.
Hull made two major breakthroughs last month, raising expectations she was poised to win a medal on the biggest stage.
First, she improved her personal best by five seconds and rose to fifth all-time in the 1500 meters, finishing second in 3:50.83 at the Paris Diamond League, behind Kipyegon, who broke the world record.
Hull (center, with American Nikki Hiltz, left, and Susan Lokayo Ejore of Kenya) was elated after taking silver in the final 100 meters of the race early Sunday morning, Australian time.
Hull (pictured celebrating) became the first Australian woman to win an Olympic medal in a race over 800 metres
The 27-year-old’s performance earned Australia’s seventh track medal at the Paris Games – the second-best performance in the history of the green and gold Olympics
The following week in Monaco she broke the world record in the 2000 metres, further convincing her that she was ready to make the step from regular world finalist to Olympic medallist.
The New South Wales runner finished 11th in the 1500 metres final in Tokyo and seventh at the two most recent world championships.
It was the seventh medal Australia won at the Paris Olympics. It is the second most medals in the history of the Games, after the twelve medals won on home soil in Melbourne in 1956.
Edwin Flack (1896) and Herb Elliott (1960) are the only Australians to have won an Olympic title in the 1500 metres.