Jessica Hull in the Olympic 1500m final in Paris (© Getty Images)
Jessica Hull may smile by default, but true happiness has been the catalyst for her breakthrough year to become an Olympic silver medallist and world record-holder.
Few athletes would have more allies on the global circuit than the beaming Australian. A softly spoken figure who doubles as a savage competitor, Hull spent seven years living and breathing athletics in the United States, first at the University of Oregon and then as a professional.
Those experiences made her good, Olympic final good, but her 2024 was great. The difference? A move back home to Australia 18 months ago to be closer to family and coached by her dad Simon – a former national junior champion turned tile and bathroom renovator.
“I had got so in the zone in the US that I couldn’t switch off between training sessions. If training didn’t go well, I would sit there and overthink things like being half a second slow on a split and what I needed to do to get better,” Hull said.
“It was really hard to leave training at the track because running was the reason I was there.
“Once I came home, I noticed I was able to do the track session and just move on because I was around my people and we talk about things outside of the running world.”
The step backwards would eventuate in a leap forward as Hull blazed her way to Olympic 1500m silver in 3:52.56 behind Kenyan world record-holder Faith Kipyegon. Hull also set a 2000m world record of 5:19.70 at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Monaco and moved to fifth on the world 1500m all-time list with 3:50.83 at the Paris Diamond League earlier in the season.
Jessica Hull sets a world 2000m record in Monaco (© Christel Saneh)
“It’s been crazy to hear how it brought people together. Parents have told me they waited to watch with their kids in the morning so it felt like it was live for them, and just hearing how much belief and momentum was growing back at home after the heats and the semis,” Hull said.
Operating on a personalised 10-day training cycle under Simon’s watchful eye, the pair share a unique bond which has progressed from laps of an unmarked loop in Wollongong as a child to training as an elite, with Hull’s competitive spirit prominent well before her physical prowess.
“If I was having a good day, it was about a 10-minute loop. He would run with me to show me the way when we first started, then I would get a head start and he would always catch me with about a minute and a half to go, and the race would be on from there,” Hull said.
“Eventually he was the one getting the head start and I would have to try and catch him, but these days he’s just on the bike!
“I was so undertrained compared to what I see people that age doing now. It was never not fun for me. We were doing just enough to improve a little bit each year and every time I did it felt really special.”
An open book when it comes to her training, the 27-year-old credits the addition of speed development to her programme as one of the key factors in her improvement, along with sacrificing a portion of volume for high intensity work off shorter recoveries.
And while Simon crunches the numbers, Hull’s mum Michelle strikes the balance.
“When it comes to splits, race plans and tactics, she doesn’t understand any of it,” said Hull. "She just cheers for me because I’m her daughter and she wants me to be happy and achieve my goals.”
Racing for Australia’s first Olympic medal in the middle-distance ranks since Ralph Doubell’s 800m gold in 1968, her compatriots tuned in at 4:15am on a Sunday morning as the gun was fired at the Stade de France.
Jessica Hull with her fellow Olympic 1500m medallists - champion Faith Kipyegon and bronze medallist Georgia Bell (© Getty Images)
Hull would execute to near perfection, doing enough to challenge for the gold without sacrificing the silver, becoming the first Australian woman in history to win an Olympic medal in the 1500m and inspiring the next generation towards the Brisbane 2032 Olympic Games.
“They have seen an Australian woman win a medal on the world stage now and they can do it too, our juniors are as good as anyone. When the World U20 Championships was on in Lima, I would wake up and be like ‘wait, we won how many medals?’ – it’s so special,” Hull said.
“Nina Kennedy, Matt Denny and I went to the 2014 World U20s together and none of us won medals. This year we won Olympic gold, silver and bronze between us. These kids are already ahead of where we were, and I hope they truly do believe they can do it too.”
Soaking up her silver success in both private and public settings since Paris, Hull is yet to lay down firm plans for 2025 and beyond, but with her trademark smile says her commitment to another Olympic cycle is indicative of her belief.
“To think that running a personal best could mean being in the 3:40s for 1500m is really weird. There is still room to improve in training and that usually means there is room to improve in a race,” Hull said.
“There is no way we are tapped out and I haven’t achieved everything I want to achieve yet.”
Lachlan Moorhouse for World Athletics
