'The best thing that could possibly happen': Aussie high jumpers win gold and silver as history is created

Brilliant high jumpers Nicola Olyslagers and Eleanor Patterson have claimed gold and silver respectively at the world athletics indoor championships to lift Australia to its greatest-ever medal tally at the event.

Seven months after Olyslagers secured silver and Patterson bronze at the Paris Olympics, the high-flying duo have shared another podium in the Chinese city of Nanjing.

Both cleared 1.97 metres and then registered three unsuccessful attempts each at 1.99m, resulting in Olyslagers capturing gold on countback.

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The Gosford product successfully defended the gold medal she won at last year's edition of the world indoor championships in Glasgow.

Ukrainian superstar Yaroslava Mahuchikh, the world record holder and reigning Olympic gold medallist, picked up bronze with a jump of 1.95m.

Olyslagers' gold and Patterson's silver took Australia's Nanjing medal tally to five, following the feats of sprinter Lachlan Kennedy and distance runners Jessica Hull and Ky Robinson.

Never across the previous 20 editions of the world indoor championships did Australia haul in so many medals.

"Going into it I was really inspired by Yaroslava's world record attempts last year," Olyslagers said, "and how she changed her new run-up, so I was jumping with a new run-up today. I want to jump as high as Yaroslava [whose world record is 2.10m]. If I want to be competitive, I needed to be trying and changing things up."

Patterson also experimented with a new run-up en route to medalling.

"Any athlete who is an athlete full stop is competitive," said Patterson, who hails from Leongatha in country Victoria.

"I want to be on top of the podium, but obviously I have huge respect for the women that I'm up against.

"... Today was OK, but I feel like it's going to be incredible jumping in Tokyo [at the world championships in September]. It's a long year, so a lot of competitions between now and then.

"I have very high standards of myself, and I know that with this new run-up that I've created, I can jump a lot higher. It's been now a couple of years since I've been over two metres, so I'm just constantly on the hunt for that."

Australia's greatest-ever world indoor championship medal haul follows a prolific track and field campaign in Paris, where pole vaulter Nina Kennedy led the team to the country's highest Olympic medal tally since Melbourne 1956.

"This is the best thing that could possibly happen, winning gold and silver and for record medals," Olyslagers said in Nanjing.

"... The Olympics was great, indoors is great. We're really going places as a sport."