Jessica Hull

The NSW South Coast's Jessica Hull has developed from a promising teenager into a world class middle-distance runner.

After starting her athletics journey in cross-country running at school, Jessica joined Albion Park Little Athletics Centre. Her father, Simon, who in his day was a national level middle-distance runner, carefully guided his daughter’s development, building a foundation with meticulous planning.

After school she studied at Oregon University in the US, completing a degree in Human Physiology and minoring in Psychology and Sports Business.

In 18 months leading up to the COVID-19 pandemic Jessica had a whirlwind rise from being a fringe national team member to Australia's leading 1500m and 5000m athlete.

She was a surprise National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) 1500m champion in 2018 and over the next year added podium finishes at indoors, in relays and cross country.

Just three weeks after she graduated in June 2019, she destroyed her 1500m Personal Best time at Stanford, running 4:02.62 to become the fourth fastest in Australian history and qualifying for the 2019 Doha world championships and the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

She raced a few times in Europe, including a stunning 15:00.32 5000m in Berlin – the third fastest in Australian history and fastest by an Australian for 13 years.

In her senior international debut in the Doha humidity at the 2019 World Championships, she was very competitive. Coasting through the 1500m heat and into the semi-final, she missed the final by one place and just 0.28 of a second.

Her semi-final time of 4:01.80 was another Personal Best and was the fastest non-qualifying time for the final ever at a world championships or Olympics.

Largely based in America, in February 2020 she returned to Australia to compete in the national 5000m which doubled as the Olympic trial. She coasted to victory over one of the best domestic fields ever assembled.

The win secured automatic nomination to the Australian Olympic Team and a place on the Tokyo 2020 Team. Then in the first major outdoor meet of 2020, Jessica lined up in the Monaco Diamond League 5000m, where against the world's elite she placed fourth. Her time of 14:43.80 broke the Australian Record, which had stood for 18 years.

Unable to compete in both the 1500m and 5000m at Tokyo 2020, Jessica dropped the 5000m from her program. By the time the Tokyo 2020 Olympics got underway in July 2021 she had shown remarkable improvement in the 1500m heats with a Personal Best time of 3:58.81 to set the National Record and make the final.

Joined by fellow Australian Linden Hall in the final, Jessica finished 11th in a time of 4:02.63.

In the three years since the Tokyo Olympics, the career of Jessica Hull has gone from strength-to-strength. She has competed for Australia on seven occasions with the highlights a bronze medal in the mixed teams relay at the world cross country championships in Australia. She also just missed the podium at the 2024 World indoors (4th 3000m) and 2023 World Championships (7th 1500m).

Jess’s 2024 campaign has been brilliant. Fourth in the 3000m at the March World indoors, she then won her fourth National title in April, at 1500m. She has set PBs at every distance from 800m to 3000m, broken five Nationals records, bringing her tally to 19. After the Nationals Jessica was named on her second Olympic team - for Paris 2024.

In addition to her World Indoor performance, one race has shone, her second at the Pre-Classic in late May where she continued to be competitive with the best distance runners in the world. At Pre she was second, clocked 3:55.97 in the 1500m, destroying the old National record.