Updated ,first published
Jessica Hull’s bid to become the first Australian woman to win national titles in the 800m, 1500m and 5000m has ended after the Olympic silver medalist pulled out of the 800m with pain.
Hull was due to run in the 800m on Saturday night, but informed officials that he would not be running after suffering an injury from a big fall in the final stages of the 1500m final on Friday night.
The 29-year-old was leading the field with 60 meters to go when rival Claudia Hollingsworth tried to go off the rail behind her and clip Hull’s legs. The star middle distance runner from Wollongong fell hard on the track, and Hollingsworth won.
The Hull coach and Simon’s father became angry in the stands after the race, and protests were started.
Hollingsworth was later disqualified, but the 20-year-old Victorian appealed and an independent panel found him innocent and reinstated him as national 1500m champion on Saturday.
Athletics Australia said the request to replay the race had been rejected, but did not specify who made the request. Amid reports that Hull had pulled out of the championship altogether, the AA said it was still hopeful he would run in the 5000m on Sunday.
Speaking after winning his 800m heat – and wearing a large scar on his left shin – Hollingsworth said he would have an “up and down” 24 hours, but he believed the right call had been made by the appeals panel.
“You never like to see any athlete go down, but it was a fair race,” Hollingsworth said.
“Obviously (I) felt bad about what happened and I hope he’s OK. I think we all ran evenly and it was just a battle in the race.”
When asked if he had spoken to Hull, Hollingsworth said he planned to, and also indicated that his opponent would not be there on Sunday.
“I have not been in contact with Jess. There is no bad blood from my side and I am sure there is none from hers,” he said.
“We have a lot of respect for each other and of course I’m ready to reach out and make sure he’s OK. We’re all mature athletes and we all want the best for each other. So I really hope to see him at the next meet, whenever, and run well against each other again.”
Hull had kept it to himself the big goal of winning three events in this meeting, after entering 800m, 1500m and 5000m.
That was reduced when he did so on Friday, but Hull still had a strong chance of completing the career track record in three straight events, and he only needed to win the 800m this year, to go with the many titles in the 1500m and 5000m in previous years. No Australian woman has ever achieved that feat.
Hull’s selection in the 1500m for the Commonwealth Games team will now have to wait. Hollingsworth’s win (and early qualifying time) will put him among the automatic selections for the team named Sunday afternoon.
Hull have time to qualify for “A”, but will have to wait for the selectors to name the remaining athletes using the optional option at a later stage. It is unlikely that Hull would not have been selected for a place in the 1500m, given his world-class results over the past three years.
But selection in the 800m may not be straightforward after the withdrawal, should Hull prefer to try to run the event in Glasgow.
Men’s 800m champion Peyton Craig, a 2024 Olympic semi-finalist, also faces a battle to make the Commonwealth Games team after brain damage ruled him out of the final.
Having climbed the first two qualifying positions in the heat, Craig slowed down on the line and was knocked unconscious on the line by Degras Amekata who finished fast.
The world under-20 silver medalist’s time was not fast enough to qualify for the final as one of two additional qualifiers.
Reece Holder and Ellie Beer claimed national titles in the 400m.
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Iain Payten is a senior sports reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect through X or email address.
