TOKYO: For a fleeting moment with half a lap to go in the women's 1500-metre final at the world athletics championships, it appeared that maybe — just maybe — Jessica Hull could be on the verge of springing a monumental upset.
If the leash Australia's middle-distance darling had on Faith Kipyegon was any tighter down the back straight on Tuesday night, she would have clipped her Kenyan rival's heels and hit the deck.
Hull, who won silver at last year's Paris Olympics behind Kipyegon, was in prime position to pounce, and it appeared that maybe — just maybe — the Illawarra product could be on the cusp of capturing her maiden global gold medal.
Watch the 2025 World Athletics Championships live and free on Nine and 9Now.
Then Kipyegon kicked.
And within a dozen strides, the mother-of-one reminded the athletics world that Kipyegon versus the rest in this event is like Armand Duplantis versus the rest in pole vault, or the now-retired Usain Bolt versus the rest in the sprints, or Eliud Kipchoge versus the rest in his marathon pomp.
Kipyegon, the winner of the past three Olympic 1500m finals and three of the past four world championship finals in the metric mile, galloped away to win comfortably.
The 31-year-old has now won four of the past five world championship 1500m finals, in London in 2017, Eugene in 2022, Budapest in 2023 and Tokyo on Tuesday night.
She shot over the finish line in Japan in three minutes, 52.15 seconds (3:52.15) — a time just over three seconds outside her world record, and just over two seconds ahead of second place.
Silver was won by another Kenyan, Dorcus Ewoi, who in the final few metres of the race scraped ahead of Hull.
Ewoi snatched silver in 3:54.92 — a personal best — as Hull netted bronze in 3:55.16.
Another Kenyan, Nelly Chepchirchir, threatened to dislodge Hull from the podium positions in the closing metres, but Hull shut her out with a lurch at the line.
The margin between Hull and fourth? Nine hundredths of a second.
Hull became the first Australian in history, male or female, to win a world championship medal in the 1500m.
In Paris last year, she became the first Australian distance runner, male or female, to win an Olympic medal on the track since Ralph Doubell's 800m triumph in Mexico City in 1968.
"I'm on the podium again and I think that's really important to be proud of," Hull told reporters, the Australian flag draped around her.
"It's really hard to make the podium — to make it two years in a row [at the Olympics and world championships] is really, really special ... I'm really proud of the bronze."
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Chepchirchir moved into second place as the field took the bell, but Hull reclaimed second place on the first bend of the final lap.
As the Australian inched ahead in the inside lane, Chepchirchir, who had been running in lane two, tried to cramp her by veering in ever so slightly.
Hull batted away the Kenyan with her arm.
"I didn't quite realise that that was in play until the bell when Nelly tried to come in on me," Hull said.
"I knew what she was doing. I was like, 'Well you guys think you can sweep the podium ... 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.
"But all credit to them — they nearly did sweep that podium, which would have been huge.
"It was pretty impressive [from the Kenyans], and they gave themselves every chance, but I had to fight back."
Asked if there was a moment in the race where she thought Kipyegon was beatable, Hull said: "Coming down the home straight into the bell I felt like we hadn't gone yet, and I think I probably used a bit of a move that I maybe should have waited to the back straight [to use]."
And does the 28-year-old give herself any chance of winning global gold when Kipyegon is still competing?
"I hope so," Hull said.
"I think she'll stick around as long as she's dominant. And she still loves it — you can see the elation that comes out of her when she has these big moments.
"We'll keep sharpening the tools. What I think about so much at training is a global gold.
"I don't necessarily think about beating Kipyegon, so to speak. I think, almost, I have a little too much respect for Faith to sort of think that way.
"But I do think about the gold, absolutely, and when it comes down to the last reps [in training] knowing that these are the winning moves, I do think about those moments."
TOKYO: For a fleeting moment with half a lap to go in the women's 1500-metre final at the world athletics championships, it appeared that maybe — just maybe — Jessica Hull could be on the verge of springing a monumental upset.
If the leash Australia's middle-distance darling had on Faith Kipyegon was any tighter down the back straight on Tuesday night, she would have clipped her Kenyan rival's heels and hit the deck.
Hull, who won silver at last year's Paris Olympics behind Kipyegon, was in prime position to pounce, and it appeared that maybe — just maybe — the Illawarra product could be on the cusp of capturing her maiden global gold medal.
Watch the 2025 World Athletics Championships live and free on Nine and 9Now.
Then Kipyegon kicked.
And within a dozen strides, the mother-of-one reminded the athletics world that Kipyegon versus the rest in this event is like Armand Duplantis versus the rest in pole vault, or the now-retired Usain Bolt versus the rest in the sprints, or Eliud Kipchoge versus the rest in his marathon pomp.
Kipyegon, the winner of the past three Olympic 1500m finals and three of the past four world championship finals in the metric mile, galloped away to win comfortably.
The 31-year-old has now won four of the past five world championship 1500m finals, in London in 2017, Eugene in 2022, Budapest in 2023 and Tokyo on Tuesday night.
She shot over the finish line in Japan in three minutes, 52.15 seconds (3:52.15) — a time just over three seconds outside her world record, and just over two seconds ahead of second place.
Silver was won by another Kenyan, Dorcus Ewoi, who in the final few metres of the race scraped ahead of Hull.
Ewoi snatched silver in 3:54.92 — a personal best — as Hull netted bronze in 3:55.16.
Another Kenyan, Nelly Chepchirchir, threatened to dislodge Hull from the podium positions in the closing metres, but Hull shut her out with a lurch at the line.
The margin between Hull and fourth? Nine hundredths of a second.
Hull became the first Australian in history, male or female, to win a world championship medal in the 1500m.
In Paris last year, she became the first Australian distance runner, male or female, to win an Olympic medal on the track since Ralph Doubell's 800m triumph in Mexico City in 1968.
"I'm on the podium again and I think that's really important to be proud of," Hull told reporters, the Australian flag draped around her.
"It's really hard to make the podium — to make it two years in a row [at the Olympics and world championships] is really, really special ... I'm really proud of the bronze."
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Chepchirchir moved into second place as the field took the bell, but Hull reclaimed second place on the first bend of the final lap.
As the Australian inched ahead in the inside lane, Chepchirchir, who had been running in lane two, tried to cramp her by veering in ever so slightly.
Hull batted away the Kenyan with her arm.
"I didn't quite realise that that was in play until the bell when Nelly tried to come in on me," Hull said.
"I knew what she was doing. I was like, 'Well you guys think you can sweep the podium ... 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.
"But all credit to them — they nearly did sweep that podium, which would have been huge.
"It was pretty impressive [from the Kenyans], and they gave themselves every chance, but I had to fight back."
Asked if there was a moment in the race where she thought Kipyegon was beatable, Hull said: "Coming down the home straight into the bell I felt like we hadn't gone yet, and I think I probably used a bit of a move that I maybe should have waited to the back straight [to use]."
And does the 28-year-old give herself any chance of winning global gold when Kipyegon is still competing?
"I hope so," Hull said.
"I think she'll stick around as long as she's dominant. And she still loves it — you can see the elation that comes out of her when she has these big moments.
"We'll keep sharpening the tools. What I think about so much at training is a global gold.
"I don't necessarily think about beating Kipyegon, so to speak. I think, almost, I have a little too much respect for Faith to sort of think that way.
"But I do think about the gold, absolutely, and when it comes down to the last reps [in training] knowing that these are the winning moves, I do think about those moments."
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