Australia's golden age of women's high jump is set to continue after teenager Izobelle Louison-Roe won gold at the world under-20 championships in Eugene, Oregon. The 19-year-old cleared 1.92m on her first attempt, beating Hungary's Lilianna Bátori by 2cm.
Louison-Roe, who had won silver at the world juniors in Peru two years ago, improved on that result and described the victory as "one of the best moments of my life." She said, "It was incredible, I heard the crowd cheer and I looked over at my mum and then I realised, like, it actually happened, I've just won."
Rapid Rise
She came into the event as favourite after clearing 1.95m in January and again in March at the Maurie Plant Meet in Melbourne, where she competed against Olympic champion Nicola Olyslagers. That height would have been enough to share Olympic bronze with Eleanor Patterson at the 2024 Paris Games.
Louison-Roe has shown rapid improvement since her silver medal in 2022, when she cleared 1.89m. She has continued to jump consistently this year, clearing 1.93m at the Australian under-20 championships in April, and moving into the world top 20.
Support and Potential
Andrew Faichney, head of high performance at Australian Athletics, praised her potential. "She's phenomenal, really, she's done something which neither Eleanor or Nicola have done, which is win a gold medal at the world under 20 championships," he said.
Louison-Roe, a product of St George Athletics Club in Sydney's south, quit gymnastics at 13 and initially focused on sprints before finding jumps. She admitted feeling pressure but said, "I just pushed it all away and just had fun."
With Olyslagers and Patterson both on the podium at Paris 2024, and Louison-Roe now a world U20 champion, Australia's high jump future looks strong. Faichney noted that she could join the pair at major meets, starting with the world championships in Beijing next year.
