It was a case of one race done, four to go for Olympic silver medallist Jessica Hull who started her history making quest to win the Australian Athletics Championships treble – the 800m, 1500m and 5000m –by finishing her first race of the meet with a beaming smile. . . and season’s best time for the 1500m.

The New South Wales Institute of Sport (NSWIS) scholarship holder ignored the trackside thermometer at the Sydney Olympic Park Athletic Centre which noted it was a scorching hot 32 degrees to win her 1500m heat in a cool time of 4:12.64.

Hull, who won the silver medal for that distance at the Paris Olympics, said besides running a ‘rhythm that feels familiar’ she was pleased to be racing on home soil with her family in the stands.

“I was smiling coming down the home straight,” she beamed. “I’ve got my parents-in-law and my nephew here; they, and he, loves watching us run so there was a smile on my face and maybe we have a future Little Athlete there.”

While Hull, who has already added three global medals to her collection this year, said while she has targeted winning each of her three events, she expected the quality of the 1500m field – it includes the likes of Abbey Caldwell, Sarah Billings and Claudia Hollingsworth – to present the greatest challenge.

“The ’15,’” she said. “There’s a lot of personal pressure too, because it just means so much to me. The 15 is the one I care the most about, and then obviously this year it’s loaded.

“Everyone’s shown up, everyone’s running this year . . . that makes tomorrow challenging. I respect that a lot – I’m going for four straight and streaks are  scary because they can only be taken away from you.

“It means a lot to me, and I hope I can go out tomorrow and get it done [in the Final].”

Hull said an important part of taking out the treble was picking the right time to switch on her mindset and to focus on each race. To win the treble, Hull has to back up for the 5000m race a mere 30 minutes after running in the 800m final

“Just one day at a time,” she said. “Especially having the ‘15’ first, it’s kind of nice to just be here just as a 1500m runner, and then I get a good 24 hours off after that final tomorrow night where I can switch the mindset into 800, and then 5k, I’ll spend about 30 minutes trying to get into that headspace on Sunday.

“Yeah, just one day at a time – I know from Tokyo I felt better with every day, so I’m hoping that that’s the trend this weekend by the time Sunday rolls around I just feel good.

“I love the rhythm of this  . . . you’re in a holding pattern for four  days  . . . it’s the same old, same old, format – rest, recover – it’s just, I don’t know, very comfortable.”

Hull conceded the work she invested to prepare for the World Athletics Cross Country Relays – in which she anchored the nation to gold in the Mixed Relay in Tallahassee, Florida, was proving its worth as she seeks winning the treble.

“Absolutely, yeah,” she said. “Having that on the 10th of January was just so motivating. It meant that the base phase was very specific, very aimed at that Championships.

“I think you saw in Linden [Hall] – [World] Indoors as well – it just made both of us have a better start to the year because we had something so early to focus on.

“It set us up for a great track season – and it’s just getting started.”

Daniel Lane, NSWIS

Photos: Rachel Tingey, NSWIS

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