Australia has achieved its best-ever medal tally at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary, with six medals, including one gold, two silver and three bronze. The highlight of the final day was the double podium finish by Eleanor Patterson and Nicola Olyslagers in the women’s high jump.
Patterson and Olyslagers Make History
Patterson and Olyslagers became the first Australian pair to win medals in the same event at a world championships, claiming silver and bronze respectively in the women’s high jump. Both cleared 1.99m, but Patterson took the silver on countback as she cleared it on her first attempt, while Olyslagers needed two tries.
The gold went to Ukrainian Yaroslava Mahuchikh, who was the only jumper to clear 2.01m. Mahuchikh dedicated her victory to her country, which has been at war with Russia since last year. She said she was proud to win the gold for Ukraine and could not wait to show it to her coach.
Patterson and Olyslagers hugged each other after the competition, celebrating their remarkable achievement. Patterson, who is the defending world champion, had a difficult year as she underwent surgery in February to have a plate inserted in her broken left foot. She said she was grateful to be able to compete and perform at such a high level.
Olyslagers, who won the silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics, had a dominant season with only one loss in 11 competitions. She said she was happy to share the podium with her teammate and friend Patterson, and praised Mahuchikh for her impressive performance.
Kennedy Leads Australia’s Golden Run
The only gold medal for Australia at the championships came from Nina Kennedy in the women’s pole vault. Kennedy cleared 4.90m on her third attempt, beating Olympic champion Katie Nageotte of the United States and world record holder Armand Duplantis of Sweden, who both failed at that height.
Kennedy said she was overjoyed to win the gold medal and thanked her coach Paul Burgess for his guidance and support. She said she had worked hard to improve her technique and confidence after finishing seventh at the Olympics.
Kennedy’s gold medal was the first for Australia in the women’s pole vault at a world championships, and the third overall in the event after Steve Hooker won in 2009 and 2011.
Other Medalists for Australia
Australia also won three bronze medals at the championships, from Mackenzie Little in the women’s javelin, Kurtis Marschall in the men’s pole vault and Jemima Montag in the women’s 20km walk.
Little threw 63.38m to secure her first major medal, while Marschall cleared 5.80m to match his personal best. Montag clocked 1:28:19 to finish behind China’s Liu Hong and Italy’s Antonella Palmisano.
The only other Australian in action on the final day was Stewart McSweyn, who finished 13th in the men’s 5000m final, which was won by Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigtsen.
Australia ended the championships with six medals, surpassing its previous best of four medals achieved in 1999 and 2009. It also ranked ninth on the medal table, ahead of traditional powerhouses like Kenya, Ethiopia and Jamaica.
