Pole vault gold for Nina Kennedy, discus bronze for Matt Denny cap magical day for Australia at Paris Olympics
Updated . First published
PARIS: Nina Kennedy let out the most triumphant shriek of her life, leapt for joy and shed tears of jubilation the moment she became an Olympic pole vault gold medallist on Thursday morning (AEST), which came just minutes after Matt Denny won discus bronze in the same arena on a magical day for Australia at the Paris Games.
As Katie Moon of the USA bounded down the runway with one last shot at taking the women's pole vault final deeper, Kennedy's tight-knit team was in the front row at the Stade de France and the 27-year-old from Perth was with them on the other side of the handrail.
And when Moon knocked off the bar, failing to clear 4.95 metres, Kennedy and her team were overcome by elation as it was written in history that the West Australian had captured Olympic gold.
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Kennedy recorded a top jump of 4.90 metres to defeat silver medallist Moon (4.85m), the American who shared gold with Kennedy at last year's world championships in Budapest, and Canadian bronze medallist Alysha Newman (4.85m).
Nina Kennedy celebrates winning Olympic gold in Paris. Getty Images
Minutes earlier at the Stade de France, Denny had broken through for his maiden major championship medal by snaring discus bronze with a top throw of 69.31 metres.
The medals secured by Kennedy and Denny meant Australia won four golds and two bronzes in one day, making for the country's most successful day in Olympic history.
And Kennedy's gold gave Australia its 18th gold of the Paris Games, making this the country's most successful ever. Australia won 17 golds at both the Athens 2004 and Tokyo 2020 Games.
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"I've genuinely thought about this night every single day since those Budapest world championships," Kennedy said.
"The night I finished Budapest, you know, winning gold was amazing, but the first thought was like, 'OK, now I have to win the Olympics, this is what I need to do'.
"I have thought about it morning, lunch, dinner every single day and I have really just learnt to believe in myself.
"Sharing [gold] with Katie will go down as one of my favourite competitions ever, but it really ignited a self-belief in me that [made me think], 'Damn girl, you are good enough to win an outright gold medal'."
Nina Kennedy and her team are overcome by emotion as the Australian clinches Olympic gold. Getty Images
Kennedy had an unexpected non-height at 4.70m in Paris, but ticked off that height with her next vault, before nailing first-attempt vaults at 4.80m, 4.85m and 4.90m.
She was unsuccessful at 4.95m — soaring over the bar at that height would have added four centimetres to her personal best — but was the only competitor who managed to clear 4.90m.
After more than three hours of pole vault action, which included a lengthy break at the pointy end due to a broken upright that needed replacing, Kennedy's crowning moment arrived.
Nina Kennedy and Matt Denny embrace on a sparkling night for Australia's athletics team. Getty Images
She had made clear over the months since last year's world championship triumph that she wanted to win Olympic gold in Paris and, crucially, win outright instead of sharing.
"I wanted that outright gold medal and I became really confident in talking to the media and it was really scary, really vulnerable to kind of lay it out there and say, 'I want the f---ing outright gold medal. This is what I want'," Kennedy said.
"That's scary, and I'm just really happy I got the job done."
The discus final was won by Jamaican Roje Stona, who set a new Olympic record of 70.00m, and silver was claimed by Mykolas Alekna of Lithuania, who hurled the discus 69.97m.
Nina Kennedy leaping for joy. Getty Images
Denny finished fourth at Tokyo 2020 and again finished fourth at last year's world titles.
At the Stade de France, the burly Queenslander put those heartbreaks behind him.
"It's amazing to step away from fourth," he said.
"I've very proud of that, and my team and I have done an incredible job of just being persistent and having a great process.
"I 100 per cent believe that there is still so much more there.
"... But no regrets. We fully attacked, that was the plan, from round one it was just no holds barred, we're not here to be pretty and have a great technique. [I was thinking], let's put a good throw together'."
