Australia's pole vault queen Nina Kennedy soared to a personal-best 4.95 metres at the Monaco Diamond League meeting in Monte Carlo on Friday night, winning gold and setting a new Australian record. The 29-year-old's jump places her fifth on the all-time world list.
Dominant Performance in Monaco
Under the bright lights of one of her favourite destinations, Kennedy cleared the bar with ease, dominating the field. "I know that I am in really good shape and pole vault is so technical, and I just had to put everything all together," she said after the remarkable jump. "Monaco is the place to do it, I always jump well here. It's a good runway, an amazing crowd and I am just really happy with how I jumped."
The victory comes as Kennedy prepares to defend her Commonwealth Games title in Glasgow, which start in less than a fortnight. With her confidence soaring, she has set a new goal: "I genuinely believe that I can jump 5 metres, and I know if everything aligns I can do it. I still have a lot of competitions for the rest of the season, that's my goal. Project 5 metres is here."
Overcoming Injuries
Kennedy's journey has not been easy. The Busselton-born athlete endured a spate of injuries, including a hamstring problem that forced her to take 12 months off last year. "I would say through those seven years of struggles, I just showed up," she said. "That taught me a lot of resilience. I've learnt that lesson, and I'm going to take that through my career, but also through my life, my friendships and beyond that. That's what is so special about sport, you learn these lessons that are damn hard, and not many other things teach you that. I've had a lot of fun, always a smile on my face and I guess the belief is always there to never give up."
Other Australian Results
Kennedy celebrated her win with fellow West Australian Kurtis Marschall, who took bronze in the men's pole vault with a jump of 5.85 metres. The event was won by world record holder Mondo DuPlantis of Sweden, who cleared 6.07 metres – a meet record for the Monaco Diamond League.
In the women's javelin, Australia's Mackenzie Little finished fifth with a throw of 57.67 metres, while rising Chinese star Yan Ziyi won with 68.75 metres. In the men's 5000m, Ky Robinson placed 11th in a time of 13 minutes and 26.70 seconds.
