PARIS, FRANCE - AUGUST 06: Jessica Hull of Team Australia competes during the Women's 1500m Round 1 on day eleven of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Stade de France on August 06, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

NSW Institute of Sport (NSWIS) athlete Jess Hull is through to the final of the Women’s 1500m after running a time of 3:55.40 in the semi-finals at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

Jessica Hull is through to her second 1500m Olympic final, and third major championship final over the distance. 

But this time it is different. 

She qualified comfortably by sitting on world number two Ethiopian Diribe Welte to finish second in a fast semi-final.

Jess is the only Australian to ever run faster than her time tonight of 3:55.40, and it looked effortless. 

One year ago at the World Championships, where she was seventh in 3:59.54 in the final,m she almost got run out in the semi. She is a different class she now. The Australian record she set a month ago in Paris (different venue) was 3:50.83. She can now handle pace that few can.

“It was fast but I kind of preferred it,” Jess said. “It’s a bit simpler. 

“I can just focus on my racing cues and relax out there. I felt good, I’m comfortable with a fast semi now. Twelve months ago I couldn’t go like that, and twelve months later, I’m a different athlete and I can handle that now and know that I’ve got more to come back with on Saturday.

“I was looking at the screen and I was just doing what I had to do to get through. I was a little surprised, to be fair. The other women definitely stepped up tonight.”

World championship finalist Georgia Griffith, at her second Olympic Games, was run out in semi-final one. The pace wasn’t as quick and she ended up leading for the pack for quite sometime. The 27-year-old was in a qualifying position with 100 metres to go but really struggled over the last 50 meres. She finished ninth in 4:02.69

“I wanted to be towards the front and kind of stay out of trouble,” Georgia said.

“But I think it is a lot easier when you’re not the one getting chased and you’re just sitting in. 

But I mean it was a clean run and I did everything I could. I just didn’t have the legs in the last 100. I was getting a bit wobbly that last 50 metres. I felt like I had a little jelly moment maybe 30, 40 metres to go, but we got there.”

Heptathletes Camryn Newton-Smith and Tori West are placed 14th and 21st respectively after the first four events at Stade de France. They started the day well but dropped away later in the day.

Camryn ran 13.46 seconds in the 100m hurdles, just outside her personal best of 13.43s for 1056 points. She then cleared 1.80 metres in the high jump. She was in eighth position with 2034 points after two events. She then threw 13.11m in the shot put before finishing with 24.76s for the 200m. 

She goes into day two with 3,678 points.

Tori ran a personal best of 13.62s (1033pts) in the 100 hurdles and then followed that with a 1.71 metre high jump clearance. The 28-year-old from Brisbane then threw 12.81m for the shot put and ran 24.73 seconds for the 200m. She has a 3,573 points with three events to go on Friday. Britain’s 

Katarina Johnson-Thompson leads with 4,055 points.

The heptathletes take to the long jump runway at 6:05pm AEST to start their second day of competition.

Article courtesy of the AOC

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