Inside Jessica Hull's Plan to Finally Dethrone Faith Kipyegon's 1500m Crown at Tokyo Worlds

Jessica Hull has opened up on her grand plan to finally dethrone Faith Kipyegon and clinch the 1500 meters crown after pushing her to the limit in 2024.

Hull launched her outdoor 2025 campaign with a second place finish in the 1500 meters at the Philadelphia Grand Slam Track meet, losing to Ethiopia’s Diribe Welteji, who surged to victory after taking the lead with 50 meters to go.

Hull broke to prominence in 2024 in Paris when she found herself running shoulder to shoulder with the two-time Olympic champion, Kipyegon, in a thrilling 1500m showdown.

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 She pushed Kipyegon for much of the race, with the Kenyan eventually shattering the world record with a time of 3:49.04. Hull, undeterred by the outcome, bettered her own national and Oceania records, posting a time of 3:55.97, making it the fifth-fastest time ever recorded.

Hull then went on to win Australia their first distance medal at the Olympics in five decades by clinching silver a few weeks later.

Now, she aims to get to the next level in 2025. Speaking to the media following her performance in Philadelphia, Hull explained what she was using the race to work on.

“It’s been a strange start to the year,” Hull admitted after her race. “I feel like I’ve been fit and putting in a lot of good training, but I haven’t had a time or race on the board that I was really happy with.”

That changed recently. With a confident smile crossing the finish line, Hull finally registered a mark she could be proud of.

“I was just pretty determined today to actually put a mark out there that I was like, ‘Okay, I can live with that.’ The smile was kind of like, ‘Yep, that was a good ride, I’m happy with that.’”

The timing couldn’t be better. With a packed schedule ahead—Grand Slam LA next, followed by key Diamond League meets in July—Hull knows this is the moment to shift gears.

“I know we’re in a great spot for the end of May, and I’ve got a big couple of months coming up with some big goals. So it was about time I ran fast—and yeah, it feels good to have done that.”

But dethroning Faith Kipyegon—the undisputed queen of the 1500m—is no easy feat. Hull, whose personal best stands among the fastest in history, understands what it takes. But she also knows that her past PB came under rare conditions.

“My PB is fast,” Hull reflected, “but the day I ran 3:50, I got a perfect run-out. I got to sit behind a champion like Faith the whole way—and that’s never going to happen again.”

That realization has brought about a crucial mindset shift. Hull is no longer waiting for the perfect setup—she’s working to create it herself.

“If I want to run PBs, I’ve got to learn to go to the front. I’ve got to learn to push. I’ve got to get out of my comfort zone.”

With the Tokyo World Championships just 16 weeks away, Hull is fully locked in—not just to race, but to race like someone who belongs on the podium.

“I want to run faster—I don’t know how fast that is, but I want to keep running performances that reflect my training. And I want to be on the podium in Tokyo.”

After years of being in Faith Kipyegon’s shadow, Jessica Hull isn’t chasing a dream anymore—she’s building a plan. And Tokyo could be the moment it all comes together.