Linden's Haul | 2021 Season Review

After winning the women’s 1500m at Zatopek in January, Linden Hall attempted to diffuse a frenzy of young fans battling for her bibs by suggesting the person who could guess her personal best would take them home.

But there was only one problem – when her fans began guessing, Hall herself could not remember what time that was.

It’s a problem the middle-distance star no longer has after a trailblazing season saw her shave almost two-seconds off her personal best, but when asked about her new mark of 3:59.01 – Hall only describes the time as “annoying”.

The extra 0.02 required to become a 3:58 runner is negligible in terms of racing results, but to the perfectionist that is Hall, it is important – a barrier that once broken confirms her status at the next level.

Lining up at Box Hill’s Hagenauer Reserve in April in front of friends and family, Hall stunned the crowd to take a slice of history when becoming the first Australian woman to break the four-minute barrier – clocking 3:59.67.

“I think that will forever be one of the most exciting and significant runs. Obviously the Olympics is the Olympics - it’s super glamorous but that night at Box Hill was so cool,” she said.

“It’s probably the most the satisfying thing I have ever done.”

A win at the Australian Track and Field Championships saw Hall secure an automatic nomination for her second Olympic Games, closing the chapter on her “first season” of 2021 and preparing for her “second season” which would entail the international circuit.

Weighing up the pros and cons of traveling to Europe prior to the Olympics, an honest Hall conceded that the uncertainty of the season due to COVID-19 was a stark contrast to her typically organised and planned schedule – saying it had the potential to derail her season.

The 30-year-old describes the start line of her Olympic 1500m heat as “terrifying” with no international races under her belt in 2021, but by the time the semi-final came around Hall was right at home.

“I got a lot of confidence from racing in front during the domestic season, so when I saw the heat sheet for the semi, I knew no one was going to take it out and I was prepared to do it,” she said.

Reflecting on the Olympic final in which Hall finished in sixth place, the self-confessed over-analyser has mixed emotions.

“It’s hard not to watch it back and think ‘what if’, but top eight is always big goal so I was definitely very happy with the overall result,” she said.

“It was really cool that Jess [Hull] and I made the final. One of the American girls made a comment saying that would be like if Texas had two people in the final.”

Progressing to Europe to compete in the back half of the esteemed Diamond League season, a confident Hall cemented her status as one of the world’s best 1500m women – clinching three podiums when racing aggressively in the lead on multiple occasions.

“You feel like you are meant to be there. I was telling myself that I should be here and I should get this done,” she said.

“The goals have definitely adjusted throughout the season. In the back half of the season I found myself disappointed with results that I would have been stoked about a year or two ago.”

Fixing her eyes firmly on next year’s World Athletics Championships and Commonwealth Games, Hall is optimistic that there are more improvements to come in 2022 and beyond.

“We made quite a few changes in the last 18 months and have had a lot of success, so another 12 months of those changes is only going to be beneficial,” she said.

“When we sit down and plan goals for next season most of them will be around where I want to finish in those finals.”

Along with working with the team at the VIS, Hall credits coach Ned Brophy for her success in 2021 after implementing several changes over the preceding years to take her to the upper echelon of women’s middle-distance running.

“We have both learnt a lot from each other and he has been key. He put together a really good plan and we make a really good team,” she said.

“It’s cool to be able to share that success.”

By Lachlan Moorhouse, Athletics Australia
Posted: 17/9/2021