Jess Hull's Late Collapse Costs Her 1,500m Victory, While Other Aussies Compete

Jess Hull experienced a heartbreaking setback in the 1,500-meter final at the Zurich Diamond League meet. Despite appearing poised for victory, holding a significant lead entering the final stretch, she ran out of energy and was overtaken in the final strides. Kenyan Nelly Chepchirchir snatched the win right at the finish line.

Chepchirchir herself was visibly fatigued, and the leading pair were nearly caught by Australian Linden Hall, who finished strongly in third place. Hull expressed her disappointment, acknowledging her exhaustion in the final 100 meters, attributing it to intense training. She recognized the need to adjust her training to conserve energy for the crucial final moments of a race.

Hull's final time was 3:57.02, just three-hundredths of a second behind Chepchirchir's season's best of 3:56.99. A victory would have potentially secured an additional spot for Australia in the women's 1,500m at the Tokyo Olympics.

Steve Cram, a renowned figure in the sport, described Hull's performance as a "collapse" in the final meters. Hull had taken the lead with bold front-running, but ultimately misjudged her energy reserves. Cram noted that Hull had significantly increased her lead, but lacked the stamina to hold on.

The race was unusual, with Hull, Chepchirchir, and Hall all appearing exhausted at the finish. Hull's missed opportunity meant she did not join other Australian women who had previously won Diamond League titles.

In other events, Matthew Denny finished fourth in the men's discus, and Mackenzie Little also took fourth place in the women's javelin. Sarah Billings placed seventh in the women's 800m, which was won by Audrey Werro.