The Illawarra talent departs Tokyo as just the third Australian to progress to the final of the women's 1500 metres event at the Olympics.

Her time to make the medal race was a big personal best, 3 minutes 58.81 seconds, enough to shave almost a second off Linden Hall's national record.

In making the final Hull follows the footsteps of fellow Illawarra talent Ryan Gregson, who raced for a medal in Rio.

She has long been inspired by the region's top athletes and Hull praised Gregson for forging a path on the world stage.

"I've come a long way since Albion Park Little As," Hull said. "Watching Ryan Gregson run on this stage, we might've both finished around the same place in the Olympic final. Seeing a boy from Albion Park who I used to watch on a Friday night do it, it showed me I could. I definitely owe a lot to him for the inspiration and to share it with Linden is pretty special."

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While Hull gave it her all on Friday night, the fatigue from a week of intense running ultimately caught up with her.

With pace on from the outset, the Australian faded late to finish 11^th. Kenya's Faith Kipyegon prevailed in an Olympic record of 3:53.11, with Dutch world champion Sifan Hassan second and Great Britain's Laura Muir third.

The early signs suggest Hull will only get better in the three years to Paris.

At 24, she is a youngster in middle-and-long-distance running. Kipyegon, now a dual Olympic champion is 27; Hassan and Muir both 28.

While Tokyo was a vital stepping stone, the family has always eyed the 2024 Olympics as the one where Hull hits her prime.

For father Simon, there's no doubt the athlete's best is to come.

"The goal going over there was to make the final," Simon said. "She had to go hard in the semi-final and paid the toll, but she's only young and it was a great experience.

"She's going to get a lot faster and stronger. I think she can be very competitive. There are crazy fields, the Africans are unbelievable, but she's got to take them on and compete with them.

"At the end of the day, she has a lot of improvement in her. She still has three-to-four years before she hits her peak. She'll be ready for Paris and pushing for a medal."

Hull has little time to rest, returning to her US base on Sunday before she prepares to contest the Prefontaine Classic on August 21.

The event is one of the biggest athletics meets in the world and will be held at her former college track in Eugene, Oregon.

The venue is also the site for next year's World Championships, a competition Hull is eyeing as a vital step on the path to Paris.

"She'll have a lot of support," Simon said. "It's her home track in the US, they've got full crowds and it's sold out. It will be pretty big and she can't wait to run in it.

"From there, she'll head to Europe for a couple of 3km, 5km and a 1500m race.

"She's in shape to run PBs. I'm not sure how fast she can go, but there will be quality fields over there. If she can get among it, we'll see what comes of them."