World
Aussie Hull smashes world 2,000m record ahead of Paris Olympics campaign
In short
Jess Hull set a world record in the women’s 2,000 metes at the Monaco Diamond League meet with a time of 5:19.70.
Her performance came less than a week after she broke the national and Oceania record in the 1,500m.
What’s next?
The Paris Olympics track and field program commences on August 1.
Australia’s Jess Hull has broken the world record in the women’s 2,000 metres at the Monaco Diamond League meeting with a display that reaffirms her standing as a genuine Olympic medal contender.
Hull clocked five minutes and 19.70 seconds, going it alone in the non-Olympic distance to dip under the previous world mark of 5:21.56 set by Burundi’s Francine Niyonsaba three years ago.
Her first victory in the prestigious Diamond League series came just five days after she also obliterated her personal best by 5 seconds in the 1,500m in Paris.
Hull posted an Australian and Oceanian record of 3:50.83 at the Paris Diamond League event to finish behind Kenyan great Faith Kipyegon, who set a new world mark.
The 27-year-old’s performance in the French capital rocketed her to fifth on the all-time list, and becoming a world record holder will boost her confidence even more going into the Paris Olympics, which begin in two weeks.
“It was incredible. When I was on my own on the last lap, everyone was cheering for me,” said Hull, who was pursued by the moving trackside light that indicated she was under world-record pace.
“I was just looking at the lights, hoping they wouldn’t catch me.
“There are for sure some women who can run that 5:19, but for now I have my place in the history books. I ran hard for this record, I worked extremely hard for this.”
Hull said she had felt tired following her run in Paris but recovered sufficiently enough to make the start line in Monaco.
“I definitely felt the Paris race all week in my legs,” Hull said.
“So, today the goal was just to be strong, even if my legs were very heavy. I ran at a different pace and level of fatigue that I have never been at before.”
Hull has twice finished seventh in the 1,500m at the world championships.
She was 11th in the 1,500m final in her Olympic debut in Tokyo three years ago.
Kennedy triumphs in pole vault
On a hugely encouraging night for the Australian Olympic challenge, Nina Kennedy won the women’s pole vault and Mackenzie Little finished runner-up in the women’s javelin.
World champion Kennedy won on countback from Angelica Moser, clearing 4.88m at the first attempt while the Swiss went over at her third try.
“The results show us everyone is in really good form,” Kennedy said.
“Everyone is pushing for the Olympic gold. Our sport is in a really good shape. Now I’ve just got a fire in my belly and I want to win in Paris.”
Little, the Sydney hospital doctor who had only arrived in Monaco from Australia the previous day, was delighted with her first-round 64.74m effort that left her second behind world champion Haruka Kitaguchi.
“I was working until the morning I left, and the week before I did night shifts to get on the European time zone,” Little said.
“Now I will have time to get my eight hours of sleep in.”
Oli Hoare finish seventh in 3:31.07 in a searing men’s 1,500m won by Olympic champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen, whose European record time of 3:26.73 made him the first man to break 3:27 since 2015.
AAP/ABC
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