Linden Hall has become the first Australian woman to break four minutes for 1500m, with a run for the ages at the Box Hill Classic on Thursday night.
Running alone after pacemaker Ellie Sandford dropped out just after 800m, the in form 29-year-old ran a strong last lap to stop the clock in 3:59.67. The performance improved on her personal best of 4:00.86 set in 2018 and reclaimed the Australian record from Jessica Hull, who ran 4:00.42 in Europe last year.
“I’m not sure it has sunk in just yet,” Hall said after the race.
“It’s so nice to run fast here at home with everyone around and share it with them.
“It’s so exciting. I’ve barely made it back to my bag because you just want to stop and give everyone a hug,” she said of the intimate and knowledgeable crowd on hand at the meet, who rushed into lane four of the back straight in encouragement on the final lap as the class of Hall’s performance shone through.
Stewart McSweyn did not start in the men’s race, leaving the field wide open. In a race targeting the Olympic qualifier of 3:35.00 the field fell just short in a quality contest, with Jye Edwards lowering his personal best to 3:35.46 and continuing his winning streak this season.
In second was Matthew Ramsden in 3:35.94, while Ryan Gregson returned to form with a 3:36.72 third place.
34-year-old David McNeill showed there is still plenty of running left in his legs, setting a new personal best in the 3000m in 7:46.11. It improved on his 2016 personal best by four-and-a-half seconds in an impressive 12 second victory from Liam Cashin, who went under 8 minutes with a 7:58.89 run.
In the women’s race Leanne Pompeani also record a personal best, winning in 9:12.37.
In the men’s 800m Brad Mathas scored an upset win over training partner Peter Bol, pulling past him in the home straight 1:46.31 to 1:46.49.
Full photo gallery from the Box Hill Classic is available here.
Latest post:
- Australian Top Lists
Check out the top 8 performances by Australian athletes in the lead up to Commonwealth Games selection. With Top Lists back in vogue in the selection policy for Glasgow’s Commonwealth Games and for Oceania Championships selection (compared to prior years for World Athletics events where World Rankings ruled), here’s the… Read more: Australian Top Lists - Commonwealth Games Qualifiers
Here’s the athletes that have achieved the tough qualifying standards for the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. With a hard cap of 63 open athletes for the Australian team, most selections will be discretionary. The only automatic pathway to selection is achieving the qualifying standard before, or while, winning the… Read more: Commonwealth Games Qualifiers - Morgan McDonald is back where he feels most alive: in the mud, in the mix, and with Mick Byrne again
Morgan McDonald doesn’t talk about cross country like it’s a side quest. He talks about it like it’s the original language of distance running: simple, chaotic, brutally honest, and somehow, the most fun you can have while “fighting for your life” through a mud pit. Fresh off the World Cross… Read more: Morgan McDonald is back where he feels most alive: in the mud, in the mix, and with Mick Byrne again - “Waking Up From a Good Dream”: Cooper Sherman’s 44.85 and the Ballarat surge
Cooper Sherman still sounds mildly surprised when he says it out loud. Not because he didn’t believe he could do it, but because breaking 45 seconds carries a particular weight in Australian 400m running. It’s a barrier that separates “very good” from “this is going somewhere”. Cover photo by Michael… Read more: “Waking Up From a Good Dream”: Cooper Sherman’s 44.85 and the Ballarat surge - Hall runs fastest 5000m by Australian on home soil as Robinson winds back the clock
Box Hill once again proved a happy hunting ground for Linden Hall, who added the 5000m at the Box Hill Burn to her list of triumphs at the “Home of PBs.” On the track where five years ago she became the first Australian to break 4 minutes for 1500m, Hall… Read more: Hall runs fastest 5000m by Australian on home soil as Robinson winds back the clock
