Source : ABC NEWS
Jessica Hull has medalled for the second time in a weekend and cracked another national record, with the Australian middle-distance ace firing another warning after silver in the 1,500 metres at the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Poland.
Melburnian Adam Spencer also won a surprise maiden global medal in the men’s 1,500m, meaning Australia collected five medals from a three-day visit to Torun, although gold remained elusive.
Hull, still surprisingly fresh after winning 3,000m bronze only 24 hours earlier, ended up with another near miss as she finished 0.92 of a second behind Great Britain’s Georgia Hunter Bell while becoming the first Australian woman to break through the 4-minute barrier indoors.
The 29-year-old lowered her Oceanian and Australian record from 4:01.19 to 3:59.45, but could not chase down her British rival, who set a 2026 world best time of 3:58.53.
Far from being downcast at again being denied gold, just as at the Paris Olympics and last year’s outdoor world championships, Hull declared: “I know my time is coming.”
Hull (right) finished less than a second behind gold medallist Georgia Hunter Bell (left). (Getty Images: Sam Barnes/Sportsfile)
“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,” she said.
“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 has been threatening a breakthrough like this after an impressive career in US college meets, still could not 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 in 3:40.26 as the top seven finished within 1.35 seconds of each other.
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“I cannot believe I have a world championship medal now,” Spencer said.
“I started my year with a slow 3,000m, which would not have got me anywhere close to qualifying for this event.
“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.”
Like Hull, 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 way 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.
Hodgkinson capped off an astonishing hour for GB with her training partner Hunter Bell and pole vaulter Molly Caudery also striking gold.
Australian long jumper Liam Adcock finished 11th with a 7.92m leap as Portugal’s Gerson Balde leapt to gold with a world-leading 8.46m.
Despite missing out on gold, only the US, with 18 gongs including five golds, earned more medals in total than the two silver and three bronze gleaned by Australia’s 11-strong team.
AAP
