Nina Kennedy Scores One For Australia, Winning Olympic Pole Vault Title

Nina Kennedy was nearly perfect on Wednesday, and for her efforts she won Australia's first Olympic gold in the women's pole vault.

Aug 7, 2024 by Campbell Choate

Nina Kennedy Scores One For Australia, Winning Olympic Pole Vault Title

Weeks before the 2024 Paris Olympics began, the world could have guessed which two athletes would be fighting for gold in the women's pole vault: Australia's Nina Kennedy and the U.S.'s Katie Moon.

Kennedy entered the Paris Olympics as the world's leader, while Team USA's Moon was behind her ...and was also the reigning Olympic champion.

Following three hours of attempts on Wednesday between 19 women who reached the final, it came down those two women.

Kennedy could only watch after hitting 4.90m. Once Moon missed at the height, she raised the bar at 4.95m but couldn't figure things out, ultimately falling to the Australian, who won the country's first Olympic gold in the event. Moon secured a podium finish for the U.S. for the fifth straight time in an Olympics dating back to 2008.

"We have know this date, it has been in my calendar for so long, to the hour, to the minute, to the absolute second," Kennedy told reporters in the mixed zone after the competition. "You have to piece it all together and that's what I did and I'm just so proud of myself and my team."

The outdoor season's entirety has been a back and forth between 2023 co-world champions Moon and Kennedy.

Just weeks before Paris, the two competed against each other in Monaco and London, sparring between Diamond Leagues. Kennedy placed first in both, while Moon was eighth in London and was just off in Monaco.

"She did exactly what she needed to do to win the Olympics," Moon said regarding Kennedy. "She's had the year you need to have to win the Olympics."

On Monday, both Moon and Kennedy placed first in their Olympic first rounds, each clearing 4.55m. As the final field cut down, Moon led with a perfect string of results -- along with Swede Angelica Moser -- clearing all heights up to 4.80m.

Moon's perfect performance early in the competition was something we haven't seen from her as much this season. After winning silver, Moon agreed and said "why can't I do this all the time?"

"I just think there's something about a championship that I can't emulate anywhere else," Moon said. "I'm just so grateful that I have this ability to show up when it counts."

Kennedy, meanwhile, missed at 4.70m. But she adjusted, hitting 4.80m on her first attempt and then again at 4.85m.

"The winner was going to be who could handle the Olympics, the pressure, the breaking of the stands, the 20 girls and the qualification the best," Kennedy said. "I knew first attempt appearances at those high bars were going to take the gold so I put all all my focus into that exact second and that's how I won."

Moon missed at 4.85m, and from there she couldn't quite figure out a solution.

Canadian Alysha Newman scored a bronze with a height of 4.85m.

The women's pole vault was originally added to the Olympic calendar in 2000 and saw U.S. athlete Stacy Dragila earn the globe's first gold medal in the event.

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