Jessica Hull has medalled for the second time in a weekend and cracked another national record, but the Australian middle-distance ace had to settle for silver in the 1500m at the world indoor championships in Poland.
With Melburnian Adam Spencer winning a surprise maiden global medal in the equivalent men’s event, Australia could celebrate five medals from their three-day visit to Torun – even if gold did remain elusive.
Hull, still surprisingly fresh after winning 3000m bronze only 24 hours earlier, ended up with another near-miss for a title on Sunday behind Georgia Hunter Bell while becoming the first Australian woman to break through the four-minute barrier indoors.
The busy 29-year-old lowered her Oceanian and Australian record from 4:01.19 to 3:59.45, but couldn’t chase down Briton Hunter-Bell, who set a 2026 world best time of 3:58.53.
But far from being downcast at again being denied gold, just as at the Paris Olympics, Hull declared: “I know my time is coming.
“To be leaving the world indoor championships with a bronze and a silver against world-class fields feels incredible. I am happy to be very consistently on the podium.
“This is the best job in the world, I love what I get to do, to come to Poland, to see the world and to compete, it really feels amazing. It doesn’t get any better than this.”
Spencer, the 24-year-old Victorian who’s been threatening a breakthrough like this after an impressive career in US college meets, still couldn’t credit how he managed to race to bronze in 3:40.26 after lying in an unpromising fifth place and looking blocked as he came off the final bend.
But as Spain’s Mariano Garcia raced to victory in 3:39.63 ahead of Portugal’s Isaac Nader, room opened up on the inside and Spencer, finishing stronger than anyone, nipped through.
“I cannot believe I have a world championship medal now. I started my year with a slow 3000m, which would not have got me anywhere close to qualifying for this event,” said Spencer.
“I stayed a bit further back but thankfully things opened up towards the end and I managed to get through. I have lots of experience from the NCAA, where races are often tactical, so that helped.”
Peter Bol raced to a new Oceanian record as he clocked 1:45.14 in the 800m final, but the 32-year-old’s hopes of winning his first global medal fell short as he was run out on the final lap behind US sensation Cooper Lutkenhaus, who became the youngest ever indoor champion at just 17.
In the women’s 800m, 21-year-old Hayley Kitching, in her first major final, found the pace set by Britain’s Olympic champ Keely Hodgkinson too hot as she battled home some five seconds behind in fifth place in 2:00.50 as the Briton clocked 1:55.30, the second-fastest indoor time in history.
Only the US, with 18 medals including five golds, earned more medals in total than the two silver and three bronze collected by Australia’s 11-strong team.
AAP
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