Heiner-Hills back with a vengeance

Madeline Heiner-Hills had so little interest in the London Olympics that the sole event she remembers watching was the women's marathon - and that was only to keep an eye on her friend Jess Trengove.

Four years on and the former star junior and Genevieve LaCaze have become the first Australian women to book spots in an Olympic 3000m steeplechase final.

Heiner-Hills walked away from track and field in 2006 after injury ruled her out of the world juniors.

She concentrated on her career as a pharmacist and travelled extensively.

Elite athletics was seemingly done for good.

But in 2013 Heiner-Hills started running again, initially for fun.

Such was her rapid rate of improvement that within a few months she had booked a spot in steeplechase at the 2014 Commonwealth Games.

Now the 29-year-old is centre stage at the biggest track meet of all.

"It's taken me quite a while to work out what the Olympics are and that sounds really silly, because so many people on the team have had things on their walls their whole life, of dreaming of being there," Heiner-Hills said on Saturday.

"With the London Olympics, the only thing I watched was the marathon because my friend Jess was in it.

"I didn't watch the steeplechase, didn't really have any interest in it.

"I had to search for why this race is so much more important.

"You know all your friends and family are watching, everyone at home.

"That was really the thing for me, everyone knew when I was running and I wanted to run well for them and it happens to be at the Olympics."

Heiner-Hills finish fifth in her heat in nine minutes 24.16 seconds.

LaCaze was second in a rough-and-tumble third heat in 9:26.25.

The third Australian competitor, Victoria Mitchell, was eliminated.

The final is on Monday (early Tuesday morning AEST).