A pair of global bronze medals to middle-distance dynamos Jessica Hull and Ky Robinson on Day Two of the World Athletics Indoor Championships have brought Australia to the verge of history with one day of competition remaining in Nanjing, China.
Chasing the nation’s record medal tally of four at the World Athletics Indoor Championships from 1993, Australia now has three medals ahead of the final day of action – sitting behind only the USA in total medals after two days of competition.
Backing up her Olympic silver medal, Hull (NSW, Simon Hull) opened her 2025 campaign on the global stage with a statement performance when racing to bronze in the Women’s 3000m, clocking 8:38.28 to finish behind the USA’s Shelby Houlihan (8:38.26) and Ethiopia’s Freweyni Hailu (8:37.21).
Leaving nothing to chance when leading for the majority of the race, Hull proved that she is here to stay on the global podium, upgrading her fourth-place finish from the 2024 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Glasgow.
“After the last two championships in Belgrade and Glasgow, I know it’s just a washing machine in those packs. I wanted to be in front with my own stride and to be free, because we didn’t come to China to run nine minutes,” Hull said.
“My goals are so high now that I can disappoint myself pretty easily. I just needed to focus on today and not get carried away with trying to be better than Paris [Olympics]. I was sixth in Belgrade and fourth in Glasgow, and I’m already thinking about Poland next year!”
The Australian star commended 21-year-old teammate Lachlan Kennedy who claimed silver in the Men’s 60m on Day One of competition:
“Watching Lachie [Kennedy] last night, it just started us on such a high and meant that none of us were chasing that today – we were on the board already. It allowed us to our jobs and it set the tone really well,” Hull said.
Fellow Australian Linden Hall (VIC, Ned Brophy-Williams) claimed ninth place in 8:44.99, while rising star Robinson (QLD, Dathan Ritzenhein) matched Hull with a breakthrough bronze in the Men’s 3000m – delivering a tactical masterclass on the boards to secure his first global medal in 7:47.09.
“Maybe four weeks ago I thought this is where I thought I was at, but the last few weeks of training have been really tough and I lost a bit of confidence. I came out here and knew I had to mix it with the big boys, and that’s what I did,” Robinson said.
“This is something I hoped to achieve at some point in my career and it has come a bit early, so I’m not going to complain, but now the pressure is on to keep the standard up and keep going.”
The 23-year-old hit the front in the final kilometre of the see-sawing affair before gritting his teeth to hold on for bronze, fending off a series of challenges from his international rivals in a career-changing performance.
“It’s a lot of instinct. I remember thinking that I don’t want to live with any regrets and if I saw a move on this stage, I didn’t want to miss that opportunity. I wanted to give the gold a crack and some world-class athletes managed to kick me down which hurts,” Robinson said.
Kurtis Marschall (WA, Paul Burgess) was well in the chase for a medal when taking home fifth place in the Men’s Pole Vault, soaring over 5.80m on his third and final attempt. The Australian was forced to pass his final two attempts at 5.90m and raise the bar to 5.95m to keep his medal hopes alive, falling just shy of joining the Australian podium party in Nanjing.
Australia’s fastest woman Torrie Lewis (QLD, Laurent Meuwly) propelled herself into the Women’s 60m Semi-Finals as a 7.25-second showing saw her secure automatic qualification in the heats, before improving in the second-round with 7.23-seconds to finish 12th overall. Earlier in the day, Ella Connolly (NSW, Andrew Murphy) finished in 29th place overall.
Held every two years, the World Athletics Indoor Championships are the pinnacle of short track competition. With a 200m banked track, tighter turns and unique tactical challenges, short track competition can take place indoors or outdoors, with the major championships for the format held indoors.
The Australian action on the third and final day of the World Athletics Indoor Championships will be headlined Olympic medallists Nicola Olyslagers and Eleanor Patterson in the Women’s High Jump, as Australia chases its record medal tally at the event.
Australian audiences can tune in live and free on SBS Viceland and SBS On Demand.
By Lachlan Moorhouse, Australian Athletics
Posted: 22/3/2025
