Nina Kennedy won a record 18th gold medal for Australia at the Paris Olympics by taking victory in the women’s pole vault.
After initially failing at 4.70m, Kennedy, 27, was flawless on his next three heights, clearing 4.80m, 4.85m and 4.90m on his first attempt.
She missed her first attempt at 4.95m, but it didn’t matter, 4.90m was enough to secure gold.
It was Australia’s fourth gold medal on a magnificent Wednesday in Paris, taking the country’s medal total to a record 18 golds with four days of competition still to go.
The previous best total was 17 golds at the 2004 Athens Games and again three years ago in Tokyo.
Kennedy’s victory means Australia has now won 18 gold medals at the Paris Games and represents a remarkable comeback story for the 27-year-old.
In what she described as “the lowest point of my entire career,” Kennedy could only finish 12th in Tokyo three years ago, due to a series of setbacks that caught up with her.
Injuries to his groin, hamstring, calf and quadriceps derailed his Olympic preparations, and he was also recovering from two fractures in his back.
‘The stress fracture I had was in my L5 and L4 (vertebrae), so my physical therapist explained to me that it would either stay cracked (and a lot of people live with this) or it would heal.
“So I was literally immobile for a month. I’m not exaggerating.
‘He (her physiotherapist) told me: ‘Don’t wear sports clothes’. He also told me not to carry shopping if it was heavy and I thought: ‘How am I supposed to live my life?’
‘My first rehab session was a month later and it was a 15-minute walk.’
To top it all off, Kennedy had to leave the Olympic village in Tokyo after coming into contact with an athlete who tested positive for Covid.
What followed was a disastrous 12th place finish that allowed her to achieve her best jump, equalling the mark she had achieved at the 2014 World Junior Championships.
But it was a completely different story in Paris, where her effort to clear 4.90 metres was enough to secure a famous gold medal.
More to follow.
