The winner at the Rio Olympics ran 4:08.92.

Does that mean the Albion park talent is a shoe-in to win gold in Tokyo?

Absolutely not.

Such is the nature of championship middle-distance running, times are often thrown out the window as tactics take over with medals on the line.

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It's a lesson Hull learned at the 2019 World Championships, the Australian ran the fastest time to miss the final in the competition's history.

Sifan Hassan went on to claim the title in dominant fashion, the Dutch star hitting the front early and running her opponents into the ground.

Hull still thinks about that semi-final, a race in which she ran a PB but considers one she made a tactical error.

With her Tokyo campaign set to commence with 1500m heats on Monday morning, the 24-year-old is determined to avoid making a similar mistake.

"The last 100m of that semi still haunts me," Hull said. "I've learnt to protect my space and get off the rail. I got a knock from the Ugandan athlete and remember coming off the last bend thinking not to go too wide.

"I look back and if I went wider, I would've increased my chances of getting through."

Hull is a much fitter and more mature athlete to the 22-year-old that ran in Doha, that competition her first taste of international running.

The past 18 months have been a whirlwind experience for the US-based talent.

Coronavirus saw her spend much of 2020 training at home in the Illawarra before travelling to Europe to set Australian records in the 1500m, 3000m and 5000m.

Hull mixed it with the world's best during that period and she's confident she can do it again in Tokyo.

"When you compete at the Diamond League you get exposure to what it feels like at major championships. The difference is when you put on a uniform for your country, it's being able to keep those emotions in check,'' she said.

"It is just another race, I race these women all the time I just have a different kit on now. I don't want to let the moment become bigger than it is, but at the same time I want to appreciate the moment for what it is. It's the Olympic Games."

Hull no longer holds the 1500m national record, Linden Hall becoming the first Australian woman to break the four-minute barrier in Melbourne in April.

While she isn't focused on reclaiming that mark, the former Kembla Joggers athlete knows she will likely have to go sub-four if she wants to medal in Tokyo.

Hull is in form, running a 4:00.73 in her final race before travelling to Japan.

The biggest danger remains Hassan, the world champion attempting to pull off an unprecedented 1500m-5000m-10,000m treble at the Games.

While it seems Hull is a fair way off the Dutch athlete, history shows an Olympic final is anyone's race.

"Once you get into the final, anything can happen. I won't sit back, I'll put myself in the mix," Hull said.