Tara Murray
Linden Hall is looking forward to the opportunity to represent Australia at the Olympics Games the third time.
Hall, who grew up in Riddells Creek, will represent Australia in the 1500 metres. She finished sixth at the Tokyo Games and the semi finals in Rio.
She said this time round felt different.
“The last couple of times I’ve been able to be selected a little bit earlier,” she said. “This time I had to wait a bit longer.
“I was hoping to get selected and it was a relief to get selected. It’s so competitive in the middle distance events.”
Hall enters the Games on the back of some strong form, just recently breaking her personal best.
It was the same race the world record was broken and fellow Australian Jess Hull, who finished second, ran a five second personal best to break the Australian record. Hall finished fourth.
Hall said she was hoping it was a good omen, as the race was in Paris.
“You can’t ask for much more,” she said of her personal best.
“We knew that Faith [Kipyegon] was going after the world record. It was a really good day and everyone in the post room was so happy.
Hall said the event had gotten so much faster since the last Olympics.
This is despite changes to have the qualifying in major events, where those who progress on placing, not a mixture of placing and times.
“It’s pretty wild,” she said. “The last Olympics in the lead up to the Games I broke the four minute barrier, the first one in Australia.
“There are five girls who have done it in the same year and two are not running at the Olympics.
“It’s crazy and it puts us on par with the Americans and they have a lot more runners.”
While Hall no longer lives in the Macedon Ranges, she still has plenty of support.
Braemar College took to social media to wish her luck, while Riddells Creek Primary School has long been a supporter.
“”I still have plenty of friends out there,” she said. “They are pretty good at supporting me on social media as well.
“I spent an afternoon at Riddells Creek Primary School after the Commonwealth Games and ran a lap with the whole school.
“It was nice to be able to do that.”
Hall is now in France ahead of the Games for an Australian camp.
She said these Games felt like it had come around a lot quicker than the last two.
For Hall, her focus for the Games is simple.
“There are two rounds to make it through to get to finals,” she said. “Each race is different and is one of the more tactical events on the program.
