Calm before the storm: Stingers upset USA, Jess Hull stuns in 1500m
The Australian women’s water polo team and runner Jessica Hull will go for gold after making it to the finals on day 13 of the Paris Games.
Stingers captain Zoe Arancini and the team are jubilant. Photo: Getty
In an epic water polo fightback, the Stingers defeated reigning champion the USA in a dramatic penalty shootout in the pool.
The Aussies will play Spain for their first chance at gold since 2000.
Track athlete Jessica Hull has declared herself a gold-medal contender after making the final of the 1500 metres, comfortably finishing her semi-final in second place.
Meanwhile, Australia’s history-making Olympic campaign continued in Paris with two silver medals and two bronze.
Australia’s men’s sprint kayak crew ended a 12-year drought with second place in the K4 – by just millimetres.
Moesha Johnson became Australia’s most successful marathon swimmer, winning silver in the 10-kilometre event in the polluted Seine and celebrated with a coke and a dose of antibiotics.
Boxers Charlie Senior and Caitlin Parker lost their boxing semi-finals, but still claimed rare bronze medals for Australia in the sport.
Historic water polo shootout
Australia’s Stingers defied all the odds to dethrone three-time defending champion, the USA, in a dramatic penalty shootout and muscle into the Olympic gold-medal match.
Captain Zoe Arancini’s side came from 5-2 down to force a penalty shootout, scoring an historic and nail-biting 14-13 triumph.
The famous win means they’re the first Australian women’s side to reach the final since the class of 2000 won the inaugural event in Sydney.
And they’re guaranteed their first medal since winning bronze in 2012.
In the final, they’ll meet Spain, which beat the Netherlands 19-18, also winning a penalty shootout.
What a STING!! 🪼
Our Australian Women's Water Polo Team defeats USA to advance to the #Paris2024 gold medal match!
Australia 🇦🇺 vs. Spain 🇪🇸
⏰ 11:35pm AEST
📅 Saturday 10 August#AllezAUS | @waterpoloaus pic.twitter.com/uaVuTA61oQ— AUS Olympic Team (@AUSOlympicTeam) August 8, 2024
“I’m over the moon, I don’t think it’s all registering, to be honest, but, like, when Gabby saved that last penalty, I was already cheering,” said Arancini.
“I think half the crew were like, ‘have we won?’. I’m like, yes, we’ve won.”
The Australians prevailed after the teams had tied 8-8 in regulation time and their hero proved to be goalkeeper Gabriella Palm, who made the crucial save in the shootout from Maddie Musselman, when the Aussies led 6-5 and were into the sudden-death period.
It prompted emotional, tearful scenes as the Stingers celebrated the triumph wildly in front of a packed 15,000-strong arena.
Jessica Hull could win a rare medal for Australia on the track. Photo: Getty
Jessica Hull storms into 1500m final
Hull has declared she can win Olympic gold in the women’s 1500-metre “mega-final” in Paris.
On the basis of what happened in the semi-finals on Thursday (Paris time) it seems a fair call.
The pace was hot and Hull looked supremely comfortable running in the top three throughout, crossing the line in three minutes 55.40 seconds – her second-fastest time.
Ethiopian Diribe Welteji edged Hull for first spot, but the Australian appeared to have more left in the tank.
If she is to become the first Australian since Herb Elliott in 1960 to win Olympic 1500-metre gold, she will have to find a way past legendary Kenyan Faith Kipyegon, who won the other semi.
“I do [believe I can win the gold],” said the 27-year-old Hull.
“It’s the greatest time for the 1500 ever, we’re saying 3:56 just to make the final from that heat so that’s insane.
“It’s a privilege to be in the position where people are talking about me as a medal contender, let alone a gold medal contender.
“Faith is not going to go down without an absolute fight, the Ethiopians are ready as well, so it’s going to be a mega-final on Saturday night.”
THE REAL DEAL 👀
Australia's Jessica Hull is through to the 1500m FINAL after a clinical run in Semi-Final 2, covering every move to finish in second place in 3:55.40!
This is going to be good 🍿#AllezAUS #CityOfAthletics #AthleticsNation pic.twitter.com/U7cxO6XaE4
— Athletics Australia (@AthsAust) August 8, 2024
Hull has taken giant strides forward in the past 12 months.
She was seventh in last year’s world championships final and later acknowledged she didn’t have the pace to go with the likes of Kipyegon when the heat was really on.
That’s no longer a problem, as evidenced by Hull’s blistering run of 3:50.83 at last month’s Paris Diamond League meet, which lifted her to fifth spot on the all-time list.
Fellow Australian Georgia Griffith ran near the front for much of the other semi before running out of gas in the last 50 metres and fading to ninth.
Earlier on Thursday, both of Australia’s 4×100-metre relay teams came up just short in their bids to qualify for the finals.
The women’s lineup of Ella Connolly, Bree Masters, Kirstie Edwards and Torrie Lewis clocked 42.75 seconds, significantly slower than the flying national record time of 42.48 they ran at the London Diamond League meet in late July.
Australia’s relay team Ella Connolly, Bree Masters, Torrie Lewis and Kristie Edwards. Photo: Getty
Crucially, the squad anchored by Australian individual 100-metre record-holder Lewis finished outside the top three automatic qualifiers in fourth place and the second heat was faster.
The Australian men’s 4×1000-metre squad overcame the absence through injury of national 100-metre champ Sebastian Sultana to lower the national record in the men’s heats.
Their time of 38.12 would have been enough to win the second of the two heats, but unfortunately they were drawn in the much quicker first one where they finished sixth.
Tokyo Olympics fourth-placegetter Peter Bol and national record holder Joseph Deng were both run out in the 800-metre repechage round.
-with AAP
