Australia's pole vault star Nina Kennedy soared to a personal-best 4.95 metres at the Monaco Diamond League meet on Friday night, winning gold and setting a new Australian record. The 29-year-old's jump places her fifth on the all-time list.
Dominant performance in Monte Carlo
Kennedy cleared the bar at 4.95 metres in one of her favourite destinations, describing Monaco as the place where she always jumps well. 'I know that I am in really good shape and pole vault is so technical, and I just had to put everything all together,' she said after the remarkable jump. 'Monaco is the place to do it, I always jump well here. It's a good runway, an amazing crowd and I am just really happy with how I jumped.'
Setting sights on 5 metres
With the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow less than a fortnight away, Kennedy has set a new goal. 'I genuinely believe that I can jump 5 metres, and I know if everything aligns I can do it,' she said. 'I still have a lot of competitions for the rest of the season, that's my goal. Project 5 metres is here.'
Overcoming injury setbacks
Kennedy's journey has been marked by injuries, including a 12-month layoff last year due to a hamstring problem. 'I would say through those seven years of struggles, I just showed up,' she said. 'That taught me a lot of resilience. I've learnt that lesson, and I'm going to take that through my career, but also through my life, my friendships and beyond that. That's what is so special about sport, you learn these lessons that are damn hard, and not many other things teach you that. I've had a lot of fun, always a smile on my face and I guess the belief is always there to never give up.'
Other Australian results
Kennedy celebrated with fellow West Australian Kurtis Marschall, who won bronze in the men's pole vault with a jump of 5.85 metres. World record holder Mondo DuPlantis won the event with a meet record of 6.07 metres. In the women's javelin, Australia's Mackenzie Little finished fifth with a throw of 57.67 metres, while Chinese star Yan Ziyi won with 68.75 metres. In the men's 5000m, Ky Robinson placed 11th in 13 minutes 26.70 seconds.
