Olyslagers jumps to another win in Zurich Diamond League

Australian high jump champion Nicola Olyslagers (NSW, Matt Horsnell) has won another Diamond League high jump event, with a flawless competition in Zurich, Switzerland, overnight.

The NSW Institute of Sport (NSWIS) athlete jumped a season’s best of 2.02m and had three attempts at 2.05m, which would have broken her own Australian record, and just missed.

After the win Olyslagers was her joyful self, talking about how the win doesn’t define who she is.

“A lot of the things I’ve learnt over the years, is the bar falls on or off, me as a person is so valuable regardless,” she said.

“If I get a miss beside my name or a first place, or have these beautiful flowers, I can still go to bed if I win or or I lose.

“I think that’s the biggest strength that any athlete can have.

“Tonight I’m so thankful I know who I am, and it doesn’t define me.

“But because of that I can reach levels that I would never choose otherwise.” 

Olyslager’s NSWIS teammate Eleanor Patterson (NSW, Fuzz Caan/Marco Fassinotti)  came in sixth jumping a very respectable 1.96m.

Cameron Myers (ACT, Dick Telford)  had another podium finish in the Diamond League, finishing third in the men’s 3000m with a time of 7:27.97, just outside his PB for the race.

“It was a tough race, the people out there are strong competitors,” he said.

“I knew it was going to be a good test, but in the end Parker (Wolfe)  was just better than me, that’s how it goes.” 

Ky Robinson (QLD, Dathan Ritzenhein) ran a PB coming in sixth, with a time 7:29.13.

In the women’s 800m, NSWIS Olympian Jessica Hull (NSW, Simon Hull) ran another fantastic race to finish fifth in 1:58.24. 

It was Hull’s first Diamond League race this year in the 800m.

Sarah Billings (VIC, Nic Bideau) finished 9th running 1.59.67.

Earlier in the night in the women’s 200m, which wasn’t an official Diamond League event, Torrie Lewis (QLD, Laurent Meuwly) came second with a time of 22.66, just outside her personal best.

In the women’s 1500m Linden Hall (VIC, Ned Brophy-Williams) came fifth with a time of 4:04.32.

In the pole vault  Kurtis Marschall (WA, Declan Carruthers) finished sixth with a jump of 5.80m, in what was an electric competition between Swedish superstar Armand Duplantis and Greek jumper Emmanouil Karalis.

Both jumped for the world record of 6.32m, but both just missed. Duplantis won the competition after a clear jump at 6.25m. 

In the women’s 3000m steeplechase Cara Feain-Ryan (QLD, Ben Norton) was the pacemaker for the race, which was won by Kenyan Faith Cherotich.

It was a huge night of competition at the Zurich Diamond League, with Brazilian Alison dos Santos breaking the 400m hurdles world record with a time of 45.80. 

In the women’s 100m hurdles, American Masai Russell broke the world record with a time of 12.09.

The Zurich Diamond League was the last of 14 regular meets, before the world’s best athletes head to Brussels in Belgium next week for the two day Diamond League finals.