Jess Hull took it to middle-distance legend Faith Kipyegon in the women’s 1500m final at the World Championships on Tuesday night, pushing the triple Olympic champion in the final lap in a brave run before showing grit to hold on for a bronze medal in a desperate finish.
The Australian finished third between two other Kenyans – silver medallist Dorcus Ewoi and fourth place Nelly Chepchirchir to record her country’s second medal in Tokyo and its first world championship podium in the 1500m.
Hull said she was “really proud” of the bronze. “It’s been a funky year for me, a little bit less consistent than I normally am, and I’ve had to try some new things and some new racing styles in a way to level up as an athlete,” she said.
Though Hull had shown her versatility in escaping from a slow semi-final intact, the final saw Kipyegon lead from the front and hit the accelerator to secure her fourth world championship gold in the event, and her third in succession.
“I just kept reminding myself to stay in it and I got to about 250 [metres] to go and I could feel that Faith was starting to pull away,” Hull said.
Jess Hull dips to hold off Kenya’s Nelly Chepchirchir to claim third place. Photograph: Aleksandra Szmigiel/Reuters
“I was looking at the back of her and then I felt Nelly coming up on the outside and I was like ‘I’m not losing the medal’. I’ve worked so hard for it this year so I was able to hold on in that last 20m or so.”
Like she did in her semi-final, Hull started the race behind the pack. But she had regained position by the first bend, this time on the shoulder of Kipyegon.
It stayed that way as the pace quickened and the chasing group thinned, until Chepchirchir made a move on the outside of the Australian with one lap to go.
Hull suspected it was part of a plan from the Kenyans to guarantee Kipyegon the gold. “I didn’t quite realise that that was in play until the bell when Nelly tried to come in on me and I knew what she was doing,” she said.
“I was like, ‘you guys think you can sweep the podium, but you’re trying to stop me and let Faith get away’, so I had to get the elbow up a little bit and just hold my own there.”
The Australian will now race in the 800m heats starting on Thursday morning with the pressure off. “For me, that’s what 800 is about, is just see how far I can go with it and just to enjoy it,” she said.
“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.”
In the men’s 800m, Australia’s national record holder Peter Bol was a surprise elimination after finishing fourth in his heat with a time of 1:45.15, just outside the three direct qualification places on offer.
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He faced a torturous wait as he watched the following three heats hoping he could stay in one of the time-based qualification places, but to his dismay he was the final athlete to tumble out.
Australia’s Peter Bol is edged out in his 800m heat. Photograph: Abbie Parr/AP
“It was probably the most stressful championships I ever had just waiting out there,” he said, frustrated he exerted too much energy manoeuvring himself around the pack during the race.
“It’s a patience game, and whoever’s the most patient isalways top three and I just didn’t have enough patience out there.”
Despite the disappointment, Bol said he was looking forward to watching the rest of his team in Tokyo, including the debut of his roommate Gout Gout in the 200m heats on Wednesday night.
Bol is 14 years older than the sprinter, and said he is trying not to give him too much advice. “I was rooming with him in Monaco and I said, ‘watch me, I’m staying calm’,” he said. “You get nervous, it’s part of the game, you still go out there and compete, so he knows what to do.”
Yual Reath finished 11th in the men’s high jump, and was close to a clearance at 2.24m before bowing out in his first world championship appearance. Reece Holder also had a valiant showing in the men’s 400m, finishing third in his semifinal but not quite delivering one of the two next fastest times that would have booked him a place in the final.
After four days of competition, Australia has won two medals, both bronze, and sit 22nd in the medal tally. Victory in the men’s high jump by Olympic champion Hamish Kerr gave New Zealand their second gold, and their 14-strong team is now fourth in the medal tally behind only the United States, Kenya and Canada.
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