Nicola Olyslagers sparkles in Paris Diamond League

A golden night at the Paris Diamond League saw three Australian women soar onto the podium, as New South Wales Institute of Sport scholarship athlete Nicola Olyslagers and Nina Kennedy secured big wins while Kelsey-Lee Barber clinched silver with just 70 days to go until the World Athletics Championships.

Olympic medallist Olyslagers made a statement at her European season opener in Paris, becoming only the second woman in the world this year to clear the world-class high jump barrier of 2.00m for victory.

Sharing the lead with the USA’s Vashti Cunningham at 1.97m, Olyslagers soared over 2.00m on her third and final attempt to claim the outright win before raising the bar for a look at a new Australian record of 2.03m.

The performance was Olyslagers’ sixth time over the magical feat, after making history when becoming the first Australian woman to do so in 2021.

“To clear 2-metres on my third attempt was such a joy. I knew I had some really good jumps previously but I just went off my history and I knew that if I could hold my position and get that feeling like I did in 2021 – that anything is possible – that’s what we saw today,” Olyslagers said.

“Similar in the Olympic Games when I missed 1.96m, there was a turning point where I thought to myself that I wasn’t going to let that happen again, I knew I could do it. Then when I cleared 1.94m on my second attempt, it helped me have the edge for 1.97m.

“2.03m was really good to attempt. I think the positions just take time. I have a few more competitions, even in the next week, so hopefully I can go after that. To attempt it is just having the faith that what I have inside of me is a lot stronger than any high jump bar. I’m learning that and putting faith to any action that I have.”

Australian record holder Nina Kennedy added to Australia’s dominance in field events when sailing over 4.77m to clinch another win on the Diamond League circuit, adding 16cm to her seasons best.

The 2022 World Championships bronze medallist vaulted with confidence to defeat a field that featured reigning world champion Katie Moon (USA) and silver medallist Sandi Morris (USA), further cementing her status as one of the world’s premier pole vaulters. The 26-year-old is reaping the rewards of her rehabilitation program when returning to competition from a stress fracture, placing her 4.82m national record back within the frame.

“The injury gave me a chance to go back to basics and do a lot of strength work. I feel like a different athlete now and it’s really refreshing. Now it’s about trying to use everything I gained over that time, which is why I’ve been a bit rusty in those last two comps,” Kennedy said.

“4.71 and 4.77 did come easy to me, but 4.82 was tough. When I had one more attempt to go, I thought let’s just give it a try for fun. It’s really nice that the bar is back up that high again.”

Back-to-back world champion Kelsey-Lee Barber is renowned for saving her best for major championships, but throwing 62.54m in Paris was good enough to clinch second place in the javelin behind Japan’s Haruka Kitaguchi (65.09m).

Barber’s best effort came in the second round as the world’s best javelin throwers struggled for consistency in the challenging conditions, including fellow Australian – and a NSWIS athlete – Mackenzie Little who finished in seventh place with a mark of 58.54m.

“I’m really happy with tonight. Most of all it was the enjoyment factor. The crowd was incredible, the atmosphere was electric and it was nice to put a few throws over 60m but I could definitely still improve in that area,” Barber said.

“I really liked that 62m throw. It felt really clean on the run way and out of the hand and I just enjoyed it. My goal for the season now is to win everything I’m in. I want to be competitive and I want to challenge the girls that I throw with but ultimately I want to come out on top. This kind of competition keeps giving me resilience so when it comes to a major championships I know that I can stand up and perform when it counts.”

In a world class race that saw Great Britain’s Olympic silver medallist Keely Hodgkinson (1:55.77) lower the national record to become world leader, Catriona Bisset impressed in her second lap when charging to fourth place in the Women’s 800m.

As Hodgkinson led from the front, Bisset found herself at the back of the pack when entering the bell lap. The Australian maneuvered her way through the field in the closing stages to secure a shot at a podium place but narrowly missed out, crossing the line in 1:58.55.

Stewart McSweyn was unable to finish the historic race that was the Men’s 2 Mile, citing a calf complaint as Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigtsen shaved four seconds off Daniel Komen’s 1997 world best, clocking 7:54.10.

Story courtesy of Sascha Ryner, Athletics Australia