Australian world pole vault champion Nina Kennedy takes Diamond League title in record-breaking effort – and she did it in a TRAIN STATION
- 26-year-old Aussie Nina Kennedy has won the pole vault final again
- This time it was triumphant in Zurich, in a train station
- Recently won a gold medal at the World Championships in Athletics
Nina Kennedy, Australia’s newest World Athletics Champion, has celebrated by soaring to an Oceania pole vault record and another Diamond League victory – from the heart of a bustling Swiss train station.
Fresh off her title win in Budapest, where she became the only Australian to take gold and made global headlines when she and her American rival Katie Moon agreed to share the triumph rather than go into an exhausting jump-off, Kennedy won outright this time with a record-breaking exhibition in Zurich.
Wednesday’s special event took place on a specially constructed track in the Hauptbahnhof of the Swiss city’s main train station.
The unlikely setting, with music blaring in the background, apparently inspired the 26-year-old from Western Australia.
She outperformed Moon when she jumped 4.91 metres, the highest ever jump by an Australian woman, adding an inch to the record she set outdoors in the Hungarian capital last week.
Australia’s Nina Kennedy celebrates winning the women’s pole vault at Zurich Central Station at the IAAF Diamond League Athletics meeting
The 26-year-old from Western Australia soared to an Oceania pole vault record and another Diamond League victory – from the heart of a Swiss train station
In notable scenes, Kennedy was cheered on by a large crowd of commuters who watched from a makeshift grandstand and around the landing mat as trains continued to pull in and out of the platforms only meters away.
Not only was it the best jump by any woman in 2023, but it was also an encounter record, adding to the growing list of notable achievements from Kennedy, the current Commonwealth, World and Diamond League champion.
“I am really surprised and so happy. This is all my dreams come true, I love Zurich.
“Now I’m flying home to Australia before traveling to Eugene (in the US) where I hope to win the final,” Kennedy said ahead of the Diamond League final in Oregon on September 16-17.
“Because I had a week off after the World Cup I just wanted to get out there and have fun and I think with the pressure off I could concentrate on doing what I love.
‘I can’t believe I jumped 4.91.
Kennedy was cheered on by commuters who watched from a makeshift grandstand and around the landing mat as trains pulled in and out of platforms just yards away
Kennedy made global headlines when she and her American rival Katie Moon agreed to share victory rather than go into an exhausting jump-off at the recent World Championships in Athletics in Budapest.
“Actually, I didn’t have much faith in the final. I knew Katie (Moon) was out for blood.
“Sharing that gold medal[in Budapest]was nice and nice, but tonight we both wanted to win and be the outright winner, so I felt the pressure.
“We had a great battle and it gives me a lot of confidence going to Eugene – and also for next year (Olympics).”
Kennedy was especially elated when she emerged victorious after almost leaving the competition with the bar at 4.76, only skipping on the last attempt before going free four consecutive first times.
It included the record-breaking jump of 4.91 meters, while number two Moon could respond with nothing better than 4.81.