Hull anchors Australia to mixed relay gold in Tallahassee, ending Kenya’s reign

Australia’s decision to field a full-strength team for the mixed relay paid off handsomely at the World Athletics Cross Country Championships Tallahassee 26 as they powered to a convincing victory in the first discipline on Saturday (10).

Their quartet of Olli Hoare, Linden Hall, Jack Anstey and Jessica Hull improved on their bronze medal from 2023 to win in 22:23 ahead of surprise silver medallists France. But perhaps the biggest shock of the race was that four-time winners Kenya finished one place shy of the podium.

On the first leg, Silas Chemutai took an early lead for Uganda, hitting the one kilometre checkpoint in 2:33 just ahead of USA’s Ethan Strand, Kenya’s Reynold Cheruiyot and Australia’s Hoare.

Cheruiyot, the world 1500m bronze medallist, moved up through the field during the second half of the 2km lap, then Strand pulled ahead as they negotiated the section featuring alligator-shaped wooden logs.

Cheruiyot once again edged ahead through the mud section, but Strand managed to gain a narrow lead over the Kenyan at the end of the leg, which was covered in 5:12, with France and Australia coming through in third and fourth respectively.

Winfred Mbithe, twice a medallist for Kenya in this event, put Kenya back in the lead for the first half of the second leg, but Australia’s Linden Hall moved to the front soon after and started to carve out a significant lead.

Further back, USA’s Sage Hurta-Klecker dropped down the field, while Ethiopia’s Gela Hambese and France’s Sarah Madeleine remained in contention.

Hall made easy work of the logs, but Mbithe struggled towards the end and almost tripped, allowing the field behind her to bunch up. Hall reached the half-way point of the race with a six-second lead, with Madeleine having moved France into second place. Karabo More’s 6:02 split – beaten only by Hall on that leg – elevated South Africa into third place.

Jack Anstey tried his best to hold on to Australia’s lead on the third leg, but France’s Antoine Senard had reduced it to just one second at 5km, 13:50 to 13:51. Senard took the lead shortly after and kept it until the end of his leg, also making the smart decision to hand over to European indoor 1500m champion Agathe Guillemot towards the end of the changeover zone. Anstey managed to keep the gap to within two seconds as he handed over to Olympic 1500m silver medallist Jessica Hull.

Hull reeled in Guillemot gradually, and with one kilometre to go she had a two-second lead over the former heptathlete. Behind them, Hirut Meshesha had moved into third for Ethiopia, keeping defending champions Kenya outside of the medal positions.

Hull dug deep over the logs and through the mud, holding off a determined Guillemot in the closing stages. Hull strode ahead – all smiles – to cross the line in 22:23 to take gold, finishing three seconds ahead of France. Meshesha anchored Ethiopia to bronze (22:34), keeping Kenya off the podium for the first time ever in a mixed relay at the World Cross Country Championships.

Jon Mulkeen for World Athletics