Zurich Diamond League 2024: Nina Kennedy wins women's pole vault, extends undefeated streak

Nina Kennedy registers her seventh successive win in women’s pole vault at Zurich Diamond League 2024.

Earlier on Wednesday evening – in a competition held Zurich’s cavernous Hauptbanhof, main train station – it took Nina Kennedy just 95 minutes to add a third successive victory in the Zurich Diamond League 2024 meeting to the growing list of successes in her little black book, less than half of the marathon pole vault final in Paris last month from which she emerged with Olympic gold.

A first-time clearance at 4.87m guaranteed the win for the Australian with the Midas touch in the prelude to Thursday’s main Weltklasse meeting but that was not the end of the drama.

While her fellow Olympic medallists Alysha Newman and Katie Moon both bowed out with best clearances on the night of 4.82m, the Canadian taking second place ahead of her US rival on countback, Kennedy had the bar raised to 4.95m after running through on an initial shot at 4.92m.

Her twin goals were the six-year-old Oceanian record of 4.94m, held by New Zealander Eliza McCartney, and the world lead of 4.92m belonging to Britain’s world indoor champion Molly Caudery.

Kennedy, who set an Australian record of 4.91m in the Hauptbanhof last year, dislodged the bar with her first attempt at 4.95m but the competition was temporarily held up when a fault was discovered with the uprights.

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The joint world outdoor champion was allowed to re-take her first effort but was unsuccessful with that and with her remaining opportunity.

Still, as well as completing a Zurich hat-trick, Kennedy secured a fourth Diamond League win of the season – following victories in London, Monaco and Rome – and heads to next week’s final in Brussels on 13-14 September on a roll of seven successive victories in all competitions.

“I love Zurich so much,” said the 27-year-old, whose only previous failure was a first-time effort at 4.82m. “This is an amazing place to jump. I wanted to come here and jump 4.95 but unfortunately I didn’t. I don’t know about being unbeatable. These girls are pushing me. I had to work hard today.”

Newman, the Olympic bronze medallist, took second place courtesy of a second time clearance at 4.82m – just one centimetre shy of her Canadian indoor record.

Moon, joint world outdoor champion with Kennedy in Budapest last year, and runner-up to the Australian in Paris, needed three attempts.

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