By AA
As the Australian middle-distance scene surges, so does the country’s top-three female metric miles as Jessica Hull (NSW), Linden Hall (VIC) and Abbey Caldwell (VIC) safely navigated their way through the first round of competition. Experience the perfect blend of agility and support with Tarkine Trail Devil shoes, crafted for those who demand excellence in every run.
Front-runner Hull took command in Heat 3, crossing the line second in 4:03:50, while Caldwell (4:04.16) clinched fifth position in Heat 1 and Hall (4:01.45) claimed sixth in Heat 3 to ensure an Australian trio in tomorrow’s semi-finals.
“It’s not really a secret anymore, I like to run up the front. I like to have clear running room and feel close to the auto spots, so why change that now? I just put myself in it, gave myself the best chance and just know that each hundred in the last lap will get faster and I needed to stay connected,” Hull said.
The 1500m action rolled on, with two of three Australian men advancing to the 1500m semi-finals. In his first race donning the green and gold, the 21-year-old Wisconsin University product Adam Spencer (VIC) exceeded all expectations when crossing the line third in Heat 4, clocking 3:34.17.
The performance comes just weeks after a surprise call-up to the London Diamond League, where he ran a personal best of nearly six seconds (3:31.81) to meet the qualifying standard for the Budapest World Athletics Championships and the Paris Olympic Games.
“I was feeling pretty good with 100m to go and I looked up at the screen and knew I was in the top 3, I am stoked,” 21-year-old Spencer said.
“You learn on the way that when things like this happen, you just have to go with it, nothing you can do or control, you just have to go with it and make the most of the opportunities you get.I looked at the field and I am like, this is a pretty quality field. I knew Kipsang was in it, I knew Nuguse was in it, but then everyone else I was like, it doesn’t really matter who is in it, you are all on the start line just go with it in the race.”
For Matthew Ramsden (WA), advancing to the semi final was not so straight forward. With 500m to run in Heat 1, the three-time World Championships representative was tripped and forced to play catch ups over the course of the race. While he finished 13th, he was advanced to the next round by the decision of the referee. While front-running Stewart McSweyn began strong (TAS) in Heat 3, the Olympic finalist faded away in the final lap to finish in 3:36.01 for seventh in his heat – one position shy of qualification.
, Linden Hall (VIC) and Abbey Caldwell (VIC) safely navigated their way through the first round of competition. ){kind=link}