Linden Hall has added another chapter to her 2025 season, powering to victory in the 3000m at the Stockholm Diamond League in a personal best time of 8:30.01 to claim her first ever Diamond League win over the distance.
In a race defined by tactics and tenacity, Hall surged to the front in the closing stages, outkicking Uganda’s Sarah Chelangat (8:31.27) with a scorching final lap. The performance carved more than five seconds from her previous best and underscored the 33-year-old’s reinvention as one of Australia’s most versatile and enduring middle-distance stars.
“I ran a big 5km PB recently so I was hoping that would translate into a good 3km,” Hall said post-race.
“I didn’t feel too good in the early stages of the race but luckily, I came good at the end. I did a lot of the work mostly by myself in the last kilometre so it was really encouraging to get a 5-second personal best.”
The Stockholm performance is just the latest highlight in a season that’s seen Hall defy expectations—not least her own. Only six months ago after winning the 3000m at the Zatopek10 meet, the Victorian told the Inside Running podcast she had little interest in stepping up to the 5000m. But in May, she surprised the athletics world by clocking 14:43.61 at The Track Meet in Los Angeles and launching to number two on the Australian all-time list to secure World Championships qualification.
“I’d definitely like to say that I’ve added the 5k as an additional event rather than transitioning to it. I’m still very much a 1500m girly,” she said at the time to Australian Athletics.
“But I guess running a five started back in December as a bit of a project.”
Linden Hall’s PBs – What a Range! Event Time Location & Date Australian All-Time Ranking 800m 1:59.22 Brisbane 2021 9th 1000m 2:35.12 Bern 2023 6th 1500m 3:56.40 Paris 2024 2nd Mile 4:19.60 Oslo 2023 2nd 3000m 8:30.01 Stockholm 2025 3rd 5000m 14:43.61 Los Angeles 2025 2nd
“I was definitely motivated by wanting to do something different. Coming off an Olympic year, sometimes that can be a hard year and so it was about getting ahead of that and giving myself a different focus.”
That focus has paid dividends after the disappointment of an injury at the Paris Olympics where Hall didn’t progress from the heats or repechage round. With qualifying standards now locked away in both the 1500m and 5000m for the upcoming World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Hall finds herself with more options, and perhaps a little less pressure.
“It just sort of means I can line up in my 1500m taking that pressure off a little bit,” she said. “There’s a fallback plan, and because of that I think I’ll actually run a better 1500m.”
With Sarah Billings already selected in the event after her Australian Championships second place finish, where Hall finished outside of the medals, and Jess Hull certain to be selected, there’s only one place remaining in the metric mile. A groundbreaker – Hall was the first Australian under 4 minutes for the 1500m and the only to do so on Australian soil – the Victorian wants that final place to be hers. Athlete Number of sub-4 runs Best Jess Hull 15 3:50.83 Linden Hall 11 3:56.40 Georgia Griffith 4 3:58.40 Sarah Billings 2 3:59.24 Abbey Caldwell 2 3:59.32
Sub 4 minute 1500m runs by Australians at 16 June 2025
Next up for Hall is a return to the 1500m at the Paris Diamond League on Friday, which also happens to fall on her 34th birthday. She has already run 3:58.70 this season and will be looking to better that mark.
“It’s been a good season so far and a nice confidence-booster,” she said in Stockholm.
“I’m really proud of myself for still running so well at this stage of my career.”
In a season marked by personal bests and growing range, Hall is showing there’s still plenty left in the tank.
