NINA KENNEDY recaptured the DL title she had won in 2022 thanks to being the only woman to go over 16-0 (4.88), taking the honors in arguably the best quality competition for depth this year outside of the Olympics.
Five women were still in the competition at 15-9 (4.80), with 2-time World Indoor winner Sandi Morris, who jumped her 16-4¾ (5.00) PR in Brussels back in 2016, the only one to go clear first time.
Kennedy soared clear on her 2nd attempt, as did Canada’s Alysha Newman and Great Britain’s world indoor champion Molly Caudery as Switzerland’s European champion Angelica Moser bowed out with three failures.
With the bar at 16-0, Kennedy watched her three rivals fail with their first attempts before going clear with a good 4 inches to spare and no one else could follow in her footsteps with their remaining two efforts.
Kennedy then finished her night with three unsuccessful attempts at 16-3 (4.95) in a bid to improve on her Oceania record of 16-1¾ (4.91) set under cover in the Zürich Hauptbahnhof last year.
“I felt a lot of pressure today, because I’ve won seven competitions in a row, so the other girls were out to get me. But I stuck to my plan, and it worked out,” said Kennedy.
She added, “It has been my best year ever, I was very consistent, won the Olympics and tonight the Diamond League. But I didn’t jump a PB, that’s why I was aiming for that with 4.95 tonight. Maybe next year; I’m still young so I have a couple of good years in me.”
The Australian has now won 10 of her 11 contests this year including the Olympic title.
In 2nd-place, Morris was also happy at the outcome despite not winning. “I am elating. It has been a rough year, to be honest. The competition was going really fast because the field is so small. There is a new rule since this year that says they will not change the standards when the clock has already started. I wanted to change my standards on 4.80 but that was not possible anymore. I grabbed a smaller pole; I ran down and made the height on my first attempt.
“Nothing is gonna make up completely for the missed Olympics, but I am really proud of how far I have come since what happened at the Olympic Trials [where she finished 4th]. I am getting healthier and stronger, and I am really pleased with 4.80 tonight. The season is finished for me. It is a little…
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