Australian running star Jessica Hull has broken a world record for the first time in her career, taking down the women’s 2000m mark at the Monaco Diamond League in a formidable statement ahead of the Paris Olympics.
Stopping the clock at five minutes and 19.70 seconds (5:19.70) to notch a crushing victory on Saturday morning (AEST), Hull shattered the mark of 5:21.56 set by Francine Niyonsaba of Burundi in 2021.
The Australian Olympic finalist also obliterated the national 2000m record set by Benita Willis in 2003, slashing more than 18 seconds from her mark of 5:37.71.
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Hull’s record-breaking run came five days after a superb performance at the Paris Diamond League, where the 27-year-old smashed her own national 1500m record and posted the fifth-fastest time in history, finishing second in 3:50.83.
Hull won the 2000m on Saturday morning (AEST) by more than six seconds, ahead of Great Britain’s Melissa Courtney-Bryant (5:26.08) and Kenya’s Edinah Jebitok (5:26.09).
Jessica Hull racing to victory and a world record at the Monaco Diamond League. Francesco Scaccianoce/Getty Images
Australia’s Georgia Griffith, who will join Hull in the 1500m at the Paris Olympics next month, finished fifth with a time of 5:28.82.
Hull is considered a genuine chance of winning her first individual global medal at the Paris Games.
“It’s insane. I don’t really know what to say of the last few days. It’s just been crazy,” Hull told Straight At It’s Mitch Dyer trackside.
“In a way I was really happy I had this [the 1500m time] because I could just regroup and come off it and focus on this [the 2000m], but now I don’t really know what to think and I’m going to have to take the next few days to take it all in.”
She had circled the 2000m in Monaco as a winnable race.
“When the start list came out, I thought that if I want to be a contender at the Olympics then this is a race that I can probably win,” Hull said.
“To think about winning the Monaco Diamond League is crazy.
“That world record was achievable and there’s a lot of women I compete with that can run that in their best shape. It’s going to get lowered again, 5:19 is by no means out of reach, but for this little bit of time I’m excited to watch people chase it.”
Hull, who’s coached by her dad Simon, was a special guest of Nine’s The Olympics Today podcast before her record-breaking run in Monaco.
“I think I’ve been pretty lucky,” said the running star from the NSW town of Albion Park.
“I’ve had the preparation every athlete dreams of, like where you just keep nailing things and you stay healthy and keep away at things over the course of the whole year.”
Jessica Hull in Monaco. Getty Images
The Monaco Diamond League also saw reigning women’s pole vault world champion Nina Kennedy take victory with a season’s best of 5.88m.
Australia’s Mackenzie Little grabbed silver in the women’s javelin with a season’s best of 64.74m, only losing out to reigning world champion Haruka Kitaguchi of Japan, who hurled the javelin 65.21m.
Australian Oliver Hoare finished seventh in the men’s 1500m, recording a season’s best of 3:31.07.
Defending Olympic gold medallist Jakob Ingebrigtsen, the brash Norwegian, won the 1500m in a career-best time of 3:26.73.