Jess Hull has claimed Australia’s first ever medal in the 1,500m at a world athletics championships, claiming a brilliant bronze medal on a night of mixed fortunes in Tokyo.
Unstoppable Kenyan Faith Kipyegon secured yet another dominant gold, her fourth in a row at a world championships, with compatriot Dorcus Ewoi running a personal best to claim silver.
Behind them, Hull had to dip to hold off a fast finishing Nelly Chepchirchir to claim her first world championship medal.
“I’m elated,” Hull told ABC Sport.
“I think that bronze is something I’m really, really proud of.
No Australian man or woman had medalled at the world championships in the 1,500m. (Getty Images: Sportsfile/Sam Barnes)
“It’s definitely been different this year, to see myself as a medallist and to just embrace this position and to come back and to get on the podium again.
“It’s been really hard and it’s been a lot of steps forward that I’ve had to make and the bronze is so special to me.”
As they hit the bell with a lap to go, Hull tangled with Chepchirchir to ensure she held her line, the Kenyan giving her an enormous stare.
That allowed Ewoi to come through and challenge, taking up the pace behind Kipyegon.
“That was massive moment for her [Ewoi]. Like, that’s a big, big breakthrough,” Hull said.
“I was lucky to have that big breakthrough last year, so I know how special those moments are and just to watch her realise what she had done, it was really special. She deserves it.”
Jessica Hull sandwiched the Kenyan athletes. (Getty Images: Cameron Spencer)
Hull seemed to tie up as the Kenyan challengers swamped her for the minor medals, but the Australian hung on to finish in 3:55.16, just 0.09 seconds ahead of Chepchirchir.
“The biggest focus was that top turn, which she [Kipyegon] wanted to go on, and I could feel her pulling away. but I was like, ‘OK, you’ve got to commit to it’.
“I think I’m very used to that sight [of Kipyegon running away], so remembering to run my race in the last 200 as she’s pulling away was really important.
“I was just fighting to get to that line and to hang on to a medal.”
Bol fails to make semifinals on return to Tokyo
Peter Bol finished in fourth place in his heat. (Getty Images: Cameron Spencer)
Earlier, veteran Australian Peter Bol suffered a huge disappointment when he was eliminated from the 800m in the heats.
Luke Boyes and Payton Craig also fell short, but Bol failing to progress was the biggest shock.
In the form of his life in 2025, Bol had returned to the scene of his Olympic final heroics, when his fourth place at the COVID Games made him a household name in Australia.
He finished fourth again on Tuesday night, tying up late on in a heat he had controlled, to finish one place outside the automatic qualifiers.
And although he was one of the fastest non-qualifiers right up until the final heat, he was then knocked off his perch and out of the competition.
“It’s hard to reflect on,” Bol told ABC Sport.
“But at the same time, it’s the World Championships … [I’m] Disappointed with the result, but happy to be in Tokyo and running for Australia against the rest of the world.
“Gotta take that as a positive.”
Look back on how all the action unfolded in our live blog.
Key Events
Live updates: World Athletics Championships, Day 4
Day four results:
- Jess Hull claims bronze in the women’s 1,500m, her first world championship medal.
- Peter Bol, Luke Boyes and Peyton Craig are all eliminated from the 800m in the heats.
- Desleigh Owusu overstepped twice from three attempts as she failed to qualify for the women’s triple jump final.
- Yual Reath failed at his second height in the final of the men’s high jump
- Reece Holder misses final in men’s 400m
What’s happening tomorrow?
You know what? Tomorrow could end up being a very big day.
There’s this kid running in the 200m I think could go on to great things…
Here’s what we’ve got in store.
- Men’s triple jump qualification (8:05pm AEST): Connor Murphy
- Women’s 200m heats (8:30pm AEST): Kristie Edwards, Mia Gross, Torrie Lewis
- Men’s 200m heats (9:15pm AEST): Gout Gout, Calab Law, Aiden Murphy
- Men’s javelin qualification (9:25pm AEST): Cameron McEntyre
- Women’s 400m hurdles semifinal (10:03pm AEST): Sarah Carli
We’ll see you tomorrow.
HIGH JUMP: HAMISH KERR WINS GOLD FOR NEW ZEALAND!
Amazing stuff from the flying Kiwi!
Hamish Kerr, the man from Dunedin, has won New Zealand’s second gold of the championships.
The height of 2.38 was just too high for Sanghyeok Woo.
The Olympic champion doubles up with victory in the world championships as well.
HIGH JUMP: Kerr and Woo miss at 2.38
Remember, Woo only has one more chance to get over this height after he passed at 2.36 after his failure there.
This would be an enormous leap.
Damn, I love our blog commenters
For the record, the Victoria Cross Medal is cast in bronze from cannons captured during the Crimean War, which occurred between 1854 and1856
– Jackson
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HIGH JUMP: KERR IS OVER AT 2.36!
THE KIWI HAS EQUALLED HIS PERSONAL BEST!
THE FIRST ATTEMPT AT 2.36!
IT’S THE HIGHEST ANYONE HAS JUMPED THIS YEAR!
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Sanghyeok Woo has passed at 2.36 so has two attempts at 2.38.
HIGH JUMP DRAMA
Oh things are hotting up in the best possible way in the men’s high jump.
The bar is at 2.34, and all four of the remaining athletes have failed twice.
Sanghyeok Woo of Korea has had failures at 2.28 and 2.31 beforehand, so needed to fly over this height.
AND HE ONLY GOES AND DOES IT!
Superb leaping from the Korean, who leaps about and grabs the camera and generally looks excited.
Then it was time for Hamish Kerr, the flying Kiwi, who had two failures at 2.31 before he got over with a clutch jump.
AND HE ONLY GOES AND CLEARS 2.31 AT THE FINAL ATTEMPT AS WELL!
Jan Štefela can’t get over, and neither can Oleh Doroshchuk.
It’s bronze for Štefela, but who will get gold?
Bronze is best, I knew it
Funny you should mention bronze tastes as good as gold Simon – I’ve been dabbling in metallurgy lately and bronze is a much more useful metal than the overrated ‘pretty’ gold or silver…
– Mike
They make the Victoria Cross out of bronze.
Just saying.
That was some race
Congratulations Jess Hull! That was one ‘hull’uva race!
– Belinda
Well done Jess Hull!
– Mike
Tastes as good as gold, I’d reckon
1,500M FINAL: JESS HULL WINS BRONZE!
Oh she had to hang on so hard there!
Faith Kipyegon was gone – she flew away down the home straight to claim a fourth-consecutive world championship gold in 3:52.15.
But behind it turned into a dogfight.
Hull started to tie up with half the straight remaining and Dorcus Ewoi got past, running a PB of 3:54.92 to win silver.
And then Hull had to hang on so hard to hold off Nelly Chepchirchir, who also ran a personal best to finish in fourth.
Hull is on the track, hands splayed out behind her as she sits down, with her head back in relief.
She ran 3:55.16.
What a race.
1,500M FINAL: Final lap
Kipyegon leads through the bell.
Hull is alone behind her now.
Hull is shoving Chepchirchir to keep herself out in space!
1,500M FINAL: Two laps to go
Hull is well placed.
Kipyegon is leading and Hull is just behind her, with Nelly Chepchirchir coming alongside.
1,500M FINAL: Three laps to go
It’s Kipyegon and Hull leading the way at the moment.
These two, gold and silver at the Olympics, are leading things out and dictating the pace.
1,500M FINAL: Here we go
Jess Hull at the back to start and she has to go around the outside on the back straight to get into a good position around the home bend.
1,500M FINAL: Jess Hull’s rise to Olympic silver
While we wait for the women’s 1,500m to start, why not relive the moment that Jess Hull solidified her place among the very best in the world with her thrilling silver at the Olympics last year.
Hull’s meteoric rise to the pinnacle of the sport’s timing sheets has been a joy to behold, but the way she ran in Paris showed she also has a hell of a lot of race smarts to her credit too.
MEN’S 1,500M FALLOUT: Olympic champion’s disqualification appeal dismissed
– Reuters
Olympic 1,500 metres champion Cole Hocker of the United States was disqualified from the event at the world championships on Monday after he barged his way through a crowd on the home straight of his semifinal to earn a qualifying slot.
Hocker was boxed in on the inside with nowhere to go – just as he had been in the Olympic final a year ago.
He saw a sliver of a gap open and charged through between two rivals, even turning slightly sideways to go through shoulder-first, and then broke clear to finish second.
“It was tight, I was looking for any kind of gap I could find,” Hocker said after the race.
“I tried my best to get through there as cleanly as possible, but I knew everybody was going to be coming from behind really fast.
“I got a little bit trapped in there. I have been in that position a few times before and I just tried to stay calm. I trust my instincts and just try to move through as well as I can.”
On this occasion his instincts did not work out and the US team’s appeal was rejected.
Dutchman Niels Laros was the fastest qualifier for Wednesday’s final, with British duo Josh Kerr and Jake Wightman – the last two world champions – also going through strongly.
1,500M FINAL: Jess Hull has ’10 to 15 per cent’ chance of winning gold
But that’s all she needs in order to believe.
Jess Hull is about to step up and race the 1,500m and is a genuine medal chance.
The Australian is up against the Kenyan legend and three-time Olympic champion, Faith Kipeygon – amongst others in a very stacked field.
But despite being the underdog, Hull is ready to “give it a good crack.”
Read more here.
MEN’S 400M SEMIFINAL: Reece Holder knocked out
Oh that’s disappointing for Reece Holder.
He may have felt relatively happy with how he was sitting.
But that second semifinal heat was so fast, Busang Collen Kebinatshipi ran 43.61, the best time in the world this year and a massive personal best to win it.
Risheen McDonald of Jamaica was second with a season’s best 44.04.
And then the next two runners were both able to record faster times than Holder.
Jereem Richards of Trinidad and Tobago went 44.12 and Jacory Patterson of the USA, 44.19 to replace Holder in the fastest non-qualifier spots.
MEN’S 400M SEMIFINAL: Reece Holder finishes third in his semifinal heat!
That’s not enough for an automatic qualification spot but it’s still a fine effort!
He was leading through 200m. Leading through 300m.
And then was swamped a little bit by Lee Bekempilo Eppie, with heat winner Zakithi Nene cruising ahead on the home straight.
Holder’s time is 44.63.
He is not an automatic qualifier but sits in a strong position in terms of getting into to final as a fastest non-qualifier.
Just the other two semifinals to go now…
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