Africa-Press – Kenya. Olympic 1,500m silver medallist Dorcus Ewoi is set to flex muscles with Olympic bronze medallist Jessica Hull of Australia when the two stars clash in a fiery 2026 Indoor season opener over the Mile at the Millrose Games on February 1.
Ewoi made headlines in September after claiming her first global medal in Kenyan colours at the Tokyo World Championships.
She stopped the clock at 3:54.92 to secure silver in the metric mile, behind quadruple world champion Faith Kipyegon, who clocked a blistering 3:52.15.
Australian Hull rounded off the podium, crossing the finish line in 3:55.16.
The Millrose Games are part of the World Athletics Indoor Tour, with the women’s Wanamaker Mile standing out as one of the headline acts of the meeting.
Race organisers announced the elite cast of entrants for next year’s showdown, pitting Ewoi and Hull against defending Mile champion Elle St. Pierre.
“Elle St. Pierre, three-time Wanamaker champion and American record holder, returns to the track. She’ll face a world-class lineup featuring Olympic medallist Jessica Hull, Olympic finalist Nikki Hiltz, surprise World Championship silver medallist Dorcus Ewoi, and outdoor Mile American record holder Sinclaire Johnson,” race organisers said in a statement.
This year, Ewoi kicked off her campaign on the Indoor circuit, recording a mixed bag of results. On January 17, she clocked 2:01.37 to place second at the Arkansas Invitational before recording a fourth-place finish (4:26.03) over the Mile at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix on February 2.
Six days later, she finished second in the Mile (4:23.69) at the Boston University Invitational and third over 800m (2:01.29) at the Eagle Elite Invitational.
It was that Indoor season that set her up for an explosive 2025 campaign that saw her claim victory at the Boston Invitational Mile race on April 19, clocking 4:42.57 and third over 1,500m at the Rabat Diamond League, clocking 3:59.25, with her crowning moment of the year being her silver medal in Tokyo.
However, the 29-year-old ended her 2025 campaign on a disappointing note, finishing seventh at the Manchester 5km road race in the US, clocking 24:50.
Ewoi’s competition at the Millrose Games will come from Hull, an experienced athlete on the Indoor circuit.
Earlier in the year, Hull claimed bronze over 3,000m at the World Indoor Championships in Nanjing, China, clocking 8:38.28.She trailed Ethiopian Freweyni Hailu (8:37.21) and American Shelby Houlihan (8:38.26).
Further, the Australian will be hoping for a podium finish after placing fourth at this year’s Millrose Games over 3,000m, clocking 8:30.91.
St. Pierre will, however, be the biggest threat for Ewoi, with the American having claimed this year’s title in 4:16.41.
She further won the 2020 title in 4:16.85 and the 2022 crown in 4:19.30.
