In her first major interview since a tripping incident last month derailed her goal of
becoming the first athlete – male or female – to win the 800m, 1500m and 5000m
titles at an Australian championship, Olympic silver medallist Jessica Hull has
opened up on why she likes to lean into her glamorous side when she hits the
racetrack.
In an interview with the Stellar podcast Something To Talk About, Hull said her hair
and makeup routine was an integral part of her pre-race preparation, one that has
seen her become a world record holder and one of Australia’s most successful track
athletes.
“There’s a lot of glamour on the track these days,” she told host Sarrah Le
Marquand.
“Everyone will be familiar with Sha’Carri Richardson, from the hair to the
nails … the eyelashes to just even the pieces of uniform she chooses to race in.
“There is a lot of opportunity to lean into the glamorous side of track and field.
“We are quite lucky when we run, in that we can express ourselves how we like. I
kind of build it into my race day routine and it helps me feel ready to go, stay excited
and get out there.
“It’s kind of like you’re going out on the town for a night – from the make-up to the
hair, you feel like you’re ready to go to war.”
Hull also reflected on the incident at April’s Australian Athletics Championships
when, while in the lead in the home straight of the 1500m final, she made contact
with fellow racer Claudia Hollingsworth’s foot and fell to the ground.
Though Hull – who ultimately completed the race — decided to pull out of the
following day’s 800m final, she competed in the 5000m final two days later.
“I think the quicker you get back into it after a setback, the faster you bounce back,”
she explained. “This happened on the Friday. I took some space on the Saturday.
Then on the Sunday, I raced again in the 5000m.”
“I knew my next race wasn’t until May 16th, and I didn’t want to sit with it for another
month. I wanted to get back out there, get a move on, and focus on what’s to come
for the rest of the year rather than dwell on it.”
Hull is now setting her focus on winning gold at the upcoming Commonwealth
Games in Glasgow. She also hopes to compete at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics,
and has not ruled out the possibility of competing at the 2032 Brisbane Games,
either.
“Before Brisbane was announced, I probably wouldn’t have anticipated going beyond
2028 but now we’re seeing men and women – especially in the 1500m – stay on the
track a bit longer,” she told Something To Talk About.
“There’s not really a hard end date for women anymore. It used to be that you had to
transition out of the sport around 32, but I’m going to be 31 in LA – and Brisbane
doesn’t seem as far-fetched now. I don’t think I could ever be an athlete that has a
hard end date.”
Listen to the full interview with Tammy Hembrow on a new episode of the Stellar
podcast, Something To Talk About, out now. See the cover shoot in print in today’s
Stellar.
