Australia has claimed its first medal at the World Championships in Athletics in Oregon. Perth-born Nina Kennedy took bronze in the women’s pole vault, clearing 4.85m in the final and celebrating accordingly.
The 25-year-old looked shaky at first as she missed twice at 4.45m, then topped that height on her third attempt to continue in the medal hunt. Incredibly, she surpassed 4.60 m with his first jump.
Kennedy went on to top 4.70m on her first attempt, and then topped 4.80m as the field whittled down to five competitors. When two of them dropped out, she was guaranteed a medal. The Australian passed up the chance to attempt 4.90m and instead she cleared 4.85m on her third attempt to secure the medal.
I am very happy with a bronze. It definitely gives me confidence for years to come,” Kennedy said.
“Those girls are 30 years old. I’m still 25, so I’ve got a few more years to break that 90 bar.”
“I think as athletes we’re so used to wanting more, but I’m going to soak this up. A bronze medal on the world stage is absolutely incredible and I think I’m going to enjoy this feeling for the next few days and days to come.” few weeks.”
She was beaten for gold and silver by American athletes Katie Nageotte and Sandi Morris. Nageotte won the gold medal by countdown. Kennedy shouted with glee as she landed comfortably after clearing his 4.85m jump. She is no stranger to success though, having won bronze at the Commonwealth Games in 2018. She once held the junior world record for vault.
Last year she broke an Australian record of 4.82m while preparing for the Tokyo Games. But in the process she tore his calf muscle and then suffered an adductor injury and then also a quadriceps injury. On top of that, upon arriving in Tokyo, she was forced to self-isolate for COVID-19 after being considered a close contact.
“I came so close to retiring (from the Olympics),” Kennedy told CODE in February.
“My head was a mess, my body was a mess. I was like, ‘Oh, do I want to go out there and embarrass myself, something like that?’
Kennedy finished his Tokyo Games in 12th place. Now she’s back to his best and she’s got a World Championship medal to prove it.