Twelve years after witnessing 100m hurdler Sally Pearson win an Olympic title in London, Editor at Large Louise Evans revels in the magic of pole vault gold in Paris.
On a historic day that rained down four Olympic gold medals for Australia, it was a warrior woman from Busselton in West Australia who flew the highest.
Nina Kennedy, 27, the reigning World and Commonwealth pole vault champion, won Australia’s 18th Olympic gold medal in Paris when she jumped a soaring 4.90m.
What’s more, Kennedy was part of Australia’s best ever single day at any Olympics and a member of what is now Australia’s most successful Olympic team.
Until Paris, Australia’s best ever record at any Olympics was 17 golds won at both the 2004 Athens and 2020 Tokyo Games.
Mindful of securing her place in history, Kennedy arrived in Paris having openly and vocally declared her intention to win gold.
“I’m here and I am a gold medallist, this is so sick,” Kennedy said following her dizzy victory.
“I have been very open about my intentions. I wanted to win that gold medal and I did. I could not be prouder of myself and my team.
“I felt calm coming into the competition. I came with a job to do. I came in with the intention and I said ‘get to work’. This is the result.
“I’ve had mental health issues and I have been vocal about it too. Learning about myself and making me think about Nina as a person and concentrating on Nina the human has brought out Nina the champion.
“There were times that were really, really hard, but I have learned something from every single moment.
“I didn’t even make the final in Tokyo. Mental health, physical health, it’s never been a smooth one. I’ve learned, I’ve grown, and I’ve taken a lot of experience into tonight.”
Nor did Kennedy want to share history again as she did at the 2023 Budapest world championships where she divided the title with American champion Katie Moon, who won Olympic silver in Paris.
“I learned that first attempts are so important. I did not want to share my medal again with Katie.
I had my team, family and friends with me. It’s been amazing.”
Kennedy set herself up for gold from the get go, starting her Olympic campaign at 4.40m and building steadily, clearing 4.80m and 4.85m on her first attempts, so as to add Olympic champion to her list career titles.
Kennedy dominated the final two Diamond League meetings leading into the Games too, earning solid favouritism for the gold medal in Paris along the way.
She won in Monaco with a clearance of 4.88m, and in London was the only vaulter to clear 4.85m, before lifting the bar to 4.95m to practice at the height where she suspected Olympic medals were likely to be decided.
“There was nothing on the line, I’d won the competition and I just wanted to see if I could clear it,’’ she said in London.
“With a bit more pressure and maybe with an Olympic medal riding on that jump, I definitely know I have it in me.
“Last year at the world championships … I got to the end of that competition and I ran out of gas, I ran out of steam, and it’s something I really wanted to fix going into the Olympic Games.
“I want to be fit. I want to have my best attempt on my last jump (in Paris).”
Her hot form made her a favourite must-see for Wesfarmers boss Rob Scott, who took time off from running the retail conglomerate, to spend two weeks at the Olympics.
Scott is an Olympic rowing silver medallist, and like Kennedy, is from West Australia.
Before the Games Scott named Kennedy as an inspiring role model for both sport and business.
“It is very inspiring for Australians watching other Australians succeed on the world stage in sport,” Scott said before heading to Paris.
“If someone like Nina Kennedy, who was born in Busselton Western Australia, can be the best in the world at pole vault, why can’t we all aspire for greatness on the world stage.
“In a very fraught and fragile world of international affairs, the soft diplomacy of sport and the relationships it builds between countries and athletes is a really positive thing. That soft diplomacy and relationship building, coming together competing fairly, is good for the world.”
Kennedy said the key to her winning gold was to have the strength and confidence to be ready to keep jumping whatever happened and be the last woman to clear the bar.
“I knew it was going to be a good night two weeks ago. I knew it was going to be a good night when I woke up this morning,” she said.
“At 4.85m, I knew the girls were still going to jump higher, it’s not over yet. You want to celebrate, but at the back of your mind you know you might still have to keep jumping.”
After 15 years of pole vaulting, Kennedy punched the cool Paris night with glee when she landed Olympic gold. She held up one finger. She was No1. As advertised.
Louise Evans is an award-winning journalist who has worked around Australia and the world as a reporter, foreign correspondent, editor and media executive for media platforms including The Sydney Morning Herald (eight years), The Australian (11 years) and Australian Associated Press (six years in London, Beijing and Sydney).
A women sports’ pioneer, Louise was the first female sports journalist employed by The Sydney Morning Herald and the first female sports editor at The Australian. Louise went on to work at six Olympic Games, six Commonwealth Games and numerous world sporting championships and grand slam tennis events.
Louise is the Founding Editor of AAP FactCheck, the Creator of #WISPAA – Women in Sport Photo Action Awards and national touring Exhibition and the author and producer of the Passage to Pusan book, documentary and exhibition.
In 2019 she was awarded the Order of Australia Medal (OAM) Queen’s Honour for services to the media and sport and named an Australian Financial Review Top 100 Woman of Influence for services to the arts, culture and sport.
In 2020 she won a NSW Volunteer of the Year Award plus the NSW Government Community Service Award for her women-in-sport advocacy work.
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