Jessica Hull has broken her Australian and Oceanian 3000 metres record for the second time in a month - but it was still not enough to win her first global track medal.
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The NSW runner clocked an area indoor landmark of eight minutes 24.39 seconds in Saturday night's (Sunday AEDT) 15-lap final at the world indoor championships in Glasgow, but couldn't live with a fast-finishing trio headed by American champion Elle St.Pierre.
Edged out of the medals into fourth place, the 31-year-old Hull was left inspired by St.Pierre, who became world champion a year and a day after giving birth to her son.
"It's exactly how I envisaged it, getting on to the leader and just being there as long as I could," Hull said of the race.
"My last 400 needs some work, but I'd rather learn that now than later. It's OK."
Hull, who last month clocked an Oceania record of 8:24.93 shadowed Ethiopia's two-time world champion Gudaf Tsegay as the leading four, also featuring Kenya's Beatrice Chepkoech, broke away.
But on the back straight of the penultimate lap, her rivals upped the pace to push past Hull, ending her hopes of adding another global medal to her mixed 4x2km relay bronze from last year's world cross country championships.
St.Pierre powered past Tsegay at the death to win by 0.26 seconds in a championship record 8:20.87.
Chepkoech broke the Kenyan record in third (8:22.68).
"What's she doing is phenomenal," Hull said of St.Pierre, 29, whose son was born last March.
"She's returning to the track with 8:20, and her little guy was only born a year yesterday. It's amazing.
"It's hard not to be inspired rather than disappointed. It's a remarkable story; she's showing you anybody can do it.
"I really felt I was in for a medal. Even when there was some separation on the last lap, I kept believing.
"But when you're in that medal position coming into the home straight, you're not going to give it up. I'm proud of my effort."
Hull had been hoping to add to the gold Australia's six-strong team picked up on Friday when Nicola Olyslagers won the high jump.
The only other Aussie in action on Saturday, Catriona Bisset, found the going too hot in the 800m semi-finals.
The Newcastle runner, who celebrated her 30th birthday on Friday, bowed out in fifth place in 2min 00.13sec.
Australian Associated Press
