How Faith Kipyegon's fierce rival Jessica Hull's decision to return home to Australia after US stint proved a masterstroke

How Faith Kipyegon's fierce rival Jessica Hull's decision to return home to Australia after US stint proved a masterstroke

Evans Ousuru 11:30 - 24.11.2024

Hull spent seven years training in the United States before deciding to return home to Australia.

Jessica Hull may smile by default, but true happiness has been the catalyst for her breakthrough year to become an Olympic silver medalist 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 told world athletics.

“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.

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