Jessica Hull headlines the return of the Sydney Track Classic

12 March 2023

Jessica Hull headlines the return of the Sydney Track Classic

Hometown athlete, Jessica Hull capped off a terrific 2023 Sydney Track Classic on Saturday night at the Sydney Olympic Park, Homebush. An international athlete line-up, headed by world 100m champion Fred Kerley, was joined on the track by Australia’s growing sprint talent, in town for a relay camp. Perfect sprint/hurdle conditions, warm weather and tailwinds ensured performances were strong for the 3825 ticket-buying fans bolstered by Masters athletes still in the venue after their National Championships.

Women’s 3000m

In Australia this summer for her wedding, then the World Cross Country Championships, Wollongong’s Jessica Hull has been trilling crowds this domestic season with world class performances at Bathurst, Melbourne and now Sydney.

Jessica and her coaches, Pete Julian and Sonia O’Sullivan, targeted the 3000m at the Sydney Track Classic, as Jess explains.

“Typically around now I run the indoor season and get a fast time out and I really wanted to select a race where I can test and see where I am at,” she said. “Nationals could be more tactical, so tonight was a good way to test myself.”

Jessica is also conscious she needs to keep up with her Northern Hemisphere rivals.

“The top women in the world, which I will race this summer, are running fast indoors, so I have to be running fast right now if I want to be anywhere near them outdoors. We have some great domestic talent, so it has been a great year to be back home racing and competing against the Aussie talent. When we get overseas, we are all going to race well against them.”

From the gun, she followed the terrific pace by Japan’s Nozomi Tanaka, who had 50 minutes earlier run the 800m. Nozomi toed Jess through 1000m in 2:51, going on for another lap. Now solo Hull was able to pick up the pace with 67 second laps, before slowing to 69 on the penultimate lap. She came home in sub-67 seconds to clock 8:31.81, and shatter records galore. She broke her own Australian record (8:36.03), the Oceania record held by Kiwi Kimberley Smith (8:35.31) and the Australian Allcomers mark of 8:43.14, set in 1990 by Scotland’s Liz McColgan, who was on her way to the Auckland Commonwealth Games. It was Jess’s nineth Australian record and the first in Australia.

Men 110m Hurdles

After a strong junior career, the athletics career of high hurdler Jacob McCorry plateaued into his senior years as he moved coaches and states. Now 25, and under jumps coach Alex Stewart in Sydney, Jacob’s performances have boomed this year. At the ACT Championships in January he lowered his 4-year-old PB of 13.82, clocking 13.78. The momentum continued at the Maurie Plant Meet, with 13.66, then into the NSW Champs with 13.59. In the ideal conditions of the Sydney Track Classic, there was no stopping that progression running 13.54 – now equal third fastest ever.

“Coming off some back to back races I’ve been able to put this period together,” he reflected.

“Rachid Muratake (Japan) has just pushed me to a PB and I’m keen to keep building.”

Rachid, who has been training on the Gold Coast, ran a PB of 13.25 to win the race.

“Alex Stewart and I went up to the GC for a training camp with them. He is such a class athlete. When they go back to Japan, I’ll go to Japan too.”

There was some quality action behind them, with Nick Andrews clocking 13.67 - not far outside his PB. Kiwi Joshua Hawkins just missed his 8-year-old National record clocking 13.72, while Maitland teenager Mitchell Lightfoot continued his amazing progression with 13.73.

In Brief:

-Michelle Jenneke was brilliant with another quick time in a week on this track. On this occasion running 12.70, a world champs qualifier and her fourth fastest ever.

-Cameron Myers placed fourth in the National 3000m, but was rewarded with breaking the National U18 and U20 3000m with his time of 7:52.06. They were his third and fourth records. It was also his second world age best.

-Wollongong’s Sarah Carli with 55.44 in the 400m hurdles, clocked her fastest time in three years and since her near career-ending gym accident. It was the third fastest of her career and in any other year would have been a world champs qualifier.

-Despite four fouls, Alex Hulley salvaged a strong season’s best of 67.52m to win the hammer throw.

-Alysha Pearson, recorded PBs in the hammer (58.70m) and shot 14.17m.

-Rohan Browning and Queensland’s Torrie Lewis broke the Australian best on record 100-yard marks with times of 9.36 and 10.34.

-15-year-old Izzy Louison-Roe cleared another PB and Commonwealth Youth Games qualifier of 1.84m.

-Other notable NSW PBs:

Jaylah Hancock-Cameron, 800m 2:04.47, 1.49 seconds

Tiahna Skelton, 100m hurdles 13.73, by 0.03 seconds

Maudie Skyring, 3000m 8:59.58

Georgia Winkcup, 3000m 8:59.76

Kaitlyn Coulter, shot 13.84m

Jemma Pollard, 400m 54.07

Shari Hurdman, 400m 54.92

Leonard King, 100m 10.46

William Freyer, LJ 7.85m

Individual events that shone:

-women’s 3000m saw seven PBs, and the Australia/Oceania/Allcomers records were broken. Second place, Amy Bunnage, also clocked the second fastest in Australian junior history.

-women’s 100m hurdles produced three PBs, a world champs qualifier, the #4 in Australian history and a record three athletes under 13 seconds.

-men’s half-mile had four PBs and the Maltase National record

-men’s 110m hurdles saw three PBs and the equal third fastest in Australian history.

-men’s 3000m was extraordinary with nine PBs, two junior Australian records, a world age record and the #1 and #3 junior in history

David Tarbotton for Athletics NSW
Image: Jessica Hull (courtesy of David Tarbotton)