Nina Kennedy ends golden season with Diamond glory
Nina Kennedy has soared to one final glorious triumph of her glittering pole vault season, taking the Diamond League crown in Brussels to add to her Olympic gold from Paris.
While the 27-year-old West Australian was completing her amazing unbeaten 2024 campaign, another Olympic heroine Jess Hull battled for bronze in the 1500m final on Saturday’s second day of the final in the Belgian capital.
Following Matt Denny’s discus gold and a silver for high jumper Nicola Olyslagers on Friday’s opening night, it meant that four Australians finished on the podium, equalling the country’s best ever performance over the season-long Diamond League series.
Both Kennedy and Denny, who the vaulter cited as an inspiration, were among the 16 event winners who were rewarded with a $US30,000 ($A45,000) prize.
Pride of place, though, had to go to Busselton’s Kennedy, who was determined to win her eighth competition in a row and successfully defend her crown.
Having already won at four Diamond League meetings this year, she grabbed victory with a 4.88 metres clearance at the first attempt in the celebrated Ivo Van Damme meet to take the title.
She also came close on her final attempt to getting over 4.95m as she sought to finish with a flourish, but the victory was already in the bag as her main rivals, American Sandi Morris, Canadian Alysha Newman and Britain’s Molly Caudery couldn’t go higher than 4.80m.
Olympic silver medallist Hull’s bid to take the 1500m was, predictably, scuppered by the incredible Kenyan champ Faith Kipyegon, who also took her fifth Diamond League season title.
The 30-year-old Kipyegon, who had outpaced Hull in Paris, has not lost over the distance since 2021, and was once again too good for everyone, clocking three minutes 54.75 seconds, with the Aussie having to settle for third (3.56.99) behind Ethiopian Diribe Welteji (3:55.25).
Mackenzie Little finished fifth in the javelin final with a 61.50m effort, behind Japanese Olympic champion Haruka Kitaguchi, who triumphed with a season’s best 66.13m effort at the last attempt.
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