This week, the Australian Athletics Championships are taking place at Sydney Olympic Park, featuring prominent athletes such as Jess Hull, Nina Kennedy, Nicola Olyslagers, Gout Gout, and Lachlan Kennedy.
Jess Hull has a busy schedule ahead, as she will participate in her favorite event, the 1,500 meters, along with the 800 meters and 5,000 meters. Her performances at these national championships will play a crucial role in the selection for the Commonwealth Games set to occur in Glasgow this July.
Currently enjoying a peak in her career, Hull is eager to push her limits further. The Olympic silver medalist has established herself as one of the elite 1,500-meter runners globally, but she is also keen to explore her capabilities in both shorter and longer distances.
She has shown promising results at major competitions, including a silver medal in the 1,500 meters and a bronze in the 3,000 meters at the recent World Indoor Championships, as well as a bronze in her signature event at last year’s World Championships, where she also reached the finals of the 800 meters.
At the Australian Championships, Hull aims to elevate her performance by competing in both the 800 meters and 5,000 meters in addition to her primary event. “I want to win, and I believe I can. That’s why I’m trying those kinds of things,” the 29-year-old stated. She acknowledged that the 1,500 meters is her priority, which adds some internal pressure, but she views the rest of the weekend as an opportunity for enjoyment.
The idea of competing in all three events initially began as a lighthearted conversation with her father, who coaches her, and her husband, but it has now become a challenge she is excited to undertake. The task is made even more challenging by the fact that the finals for the 800 meters and 5,000 meters will occur just 30 minutes apart on Sunday. “It’s not an unrealistic thing to try based on the way we train. I think we train with a lot of intensity,” she explained.
As Hull prepares to compete against top athletes like Kenyan runner Faith Kipyegon and British Indoor World Champion Georgia Hunter Bell, she must also keep an eye on rising star Claudia Hollingsworth. The 20-year-old from Melbourne recently set a record for the fastest 1,500 meters ever run in Australia and bested Hunter Bell at the Maurie Plant Meet.
“I went in with a lot of self-belief and confidence, which I think is essential. You have to visualize winning for it to happen, and I was really working on that,” Hollingsworth remarked. She will compete in both the 1,500 meters and 800 meters this weekend and is set to race Hull for the first time. “Jess is on another level again,” she admitted but added, “Every race is different. I’m just going to focus on the race in front of me.”
Hull welcomes the added competition, stating, “It’s exciting to see her gain that confidence.” She believes that Hollingsworth’s presence will elevate the competition level for all participants. “It’s like, okay, Claudia is in shape; we need to be ready,” Hull said.
Despite her numerous accolades, including several medals, Hull is still seeking her first individual gold medal at a major international event. She has her sights set on achieving this goal at the upcoming Commonwealth Games. “The Olympics are the pinnacle; that’s what drives me every day, especially with LA 2028 in mind,” she noted. “World Championships and Commonwealth Games are stepping stones towards that. Ultimately, if I want to be among the best and win gold on the world stage, I need to excel in these events along the way.”
In other news, 800-meter runner Peter Bol is also in exceptional form after facing challenges in recent years. After securing silver at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, Bol dealt with a provisional doping suspension, which he successfully cleared, followed by disappointing outcomes at the Paris 2024 Olympics and the 2025 World Championships. However, a fourth-place finish at the recent Indoor World Championships indicates he is returning to form. “I’m in great shape, both physically and mentally, which translates well onto the track,” Bol remarked.
Bol is also a supporter of 18-year-old Gout Gout, a promising sprinter, who will face Lachlan Kennedy in the men’s 200 meters this weekend. So far, Kennedy has won both of their previous matchups at this distance. “I admire both of their running styles; Kennedy is incredibly strong off the blocks, and Gout is still developing,” Bol said. He believes that their competition will benefit the sport as a whole, stating, “The more they push each other and the more attention they receive, the better athletics will become.”
