Athletics Champ Linden Hall Wants To Inspire Up-And-Coming Athletes

Linden made history when she became the first ever Aussie woman to run 1500m in under four minutes. She has her eyes locked on her second Olympics.

Linden wears Nike Air tank, $60, Aeroswift shorts, $75, and Air Zoom Pegasus trainers, $180; Apple Watch Series 6 with red aluminium case and sport band, $699. Hair: Joel Phillips/Vivien’s Creative. Make-up: Lei Tai/Vivien’s Creative.

Last year’s lockdown was tough

“I needed to adapt my training a fair bit, especially being in Melbourne. I had to get creative with a home gym and I exhausted all of the running paths near my house. It was sad to not be at the Olympics when those [original] dates rolled around. It sucked at the time, but I think it’s been beneficial this year. I’ve had a great season off the back of it and it gave me a chance to knuckle down, get strong and get consistent training in. And I just really appreciate racing again. I missed it.”

Inspiring up-and-coming athletes 

“I really love being an athlete, because it’s a great platform to really test yourself. It’s amazing to be able to represent your country, especially at the Olympic Games. Being a female athlete is even more special because you can show girls at home what they can do. In athletics the girls and boys are out there together in the same field of play, so it really just says to young girls that they can do everything the boys can.”

Nike swoosh bra, $40, faux fur jacket, $180, and Pro shorts, $40; Linden’s own ring. Hair: Joel Phillips/Vivien’s Creative. Make-up: Lei Tai/Vivien’s Creative.

The power of the crowd

“When I ran my personal best [3:59.67, the Australian record] in April, everyone was so loud on the back straight. It was a tunnel of noise. I had to get moving on that last lap to break the record and the crowd got me there, the atmosphere was incredible and powerful.”

Every food serves a purpose

“Even chocolate! That purpose might be happiness on a Wednesday night after training. Obviously on race day, I’m more particular about what I’m eating. I always have a banana two hours before my race and some plain carbohydrate-rich foods, like rice, for lunch.”

Those little pre-race rituals

“I’ve become less superstitious [over time] but I always race with a ribbon in my hair. Whenever I get my race uniform, I head over to Spotlight and colour match ribbons to my Nike race kit exactly. And obviously, a green and gold one for the Olympics. That’s my thing.”

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