NINA KENNEDY – OLYMPIC POLE VAULT GOLD
Image: Wikimedia Commons
Nina Kennedy’s gold medal in the magnificent Stade de France is the ‘Rabbit in the Vineyard Performance of the Year’ for 2024.
The Western Australian’s clearance on 4.90m was part of a golden day for Australia in Paris, as well as a great session of track and field in the Olympic stadium, where the big man from Allora in southern Queensland, Matt Denny was a very popular bronze medal winner in the discus, after a series of near misses – including missing the bronze in Tokyo by 5cm, as well as placing fourth in the last three World Championships.
At the 2023 World Championships in Budapest, Kennedy had shared the gold with the American Katie Moon, the Tokyo Olympic champion.
The pole vault is both a very spectacular and a most unique event.
In Europe, where athletics is a far more mainstream sport than in these parts, event promoters take events to the people. For example, in Zurich, the ‘Diamond League’ pole vault is held at Zurich train station (see link below). Nicola Olyslagers has high jumped in front of the magnificent Zurich Town Hall.
2024 saw the great Swedish vaulter Armand ‘Mondo’ Duplantis sweep all before him, including breaking both the Olympic and world records on his way to defending his Olympic title in Paris. He is the greatest pole vaulter of all time, even defeating the decorated Norwegian 400m hurdler Karsten Warholm in a post Olympics 100m match race in Zurich in a solid winning time of 10.37secs.
For the Olympic champion from Australia, Nina Kennedy, take a bow!
Quite rightly, post the Paris games, there was much publicity for this outstanding performance.
And, as per the story shared with Patrick Stack on my favourite daily podcast (link below), Nina’s mother Gwenda was no doubt captain of the post event celebrations!
Olympic gold deserves a party, surely.
Nina Kennedy is a “f***ing mad dog” – ABC listen
Nina Kennedy in action:
2023 World Championships, Budapest – shared gold
Nina Kennedy wins pole vault gold for Australia
Post win interview
How Nina Celebrated Gold | Olympics Daily | Olympic Games Paris 2024
Fox Sports ‘The Back Page’
Nina Kennedy on manifesting Olympic Gold | Olympics | The Back Page
Weltklasse Diamond League (Zurich) 2023 – 4.91m
Weltklasse ’23: ?? Nina Kennedy’s 4.91m Winning Jump
Paris list:
Jess Hull
Matt Denny – the Lord Major of Allora
St Peters Western Swim Club
Nicola Olyslagers
Other track & field notable mentions: Julian Alfred, Gabby Thomas, Letsile Tebogo.
Cam McEvoy
The Fox sisters
Saya Sakakibara
Men’s 4x100m relay – Australian record
Russel Hansen, South Sydney football club diamond member 6199, lives in Nuriootpa, Barossa Valley, South Australia. His golden retriever, Murray, is named after the South Sydney captain. Twitter/X: @Rabbit in the Vineyard @Russel_Hansen
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About Russel Hansen
Russel Hansen Has worked in schools for over thirty years – as a teacher, coach, coach educator, sports coordinator and in pastoral care roles. Whilst at Brisbane Boys’ College as Director of Athletics, he led teams to six GPS premierships in track and field, and cross country. He has coached (athletics) at all levels from school to international. His squad at the University of Queensland (to January 2023) included Lachlan Kennedy OLY, Paris 4x100m relay runner, Australian record holder. He is married to Heidi, a Primary school principal, and is father to two adult daughters. Twitter: @Russel_Hansen
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