'It's honestly heartbreaking': British pole vault stars crash out in qualification as Nina Kennedy's bid for gold boosted

PARIS: Only one of Nina Kennedy's rivals took to the Olympic qualification round of the women's pole vault with a higher jump than the Australian this year.

But Kennedy will not have to contend with that one competitor in the Paris Games final, Great Britain's Molly Caudery, after the 24-year-old non-heighted and failed to advance.

Nor will Kennedy have to face the Tokyo 2020 bronze medallist in the final, Great Britain's Holly Bradshaw, after she only recorded a top jump of 4.20 metres.

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Those two results rocked the pole vault qualification round in a stunning session at the Stade de France.

Kennedy was one of 11 women who progressed to the final with a top jump of 4.55 metres. The rest of the 20-strong field for the final qualified with a top jump of 4.40 metres.

After failing on three occasions to clear 4.40 metres, Bradshaw was consoled by Caudery as she broke down in tears.

Caudery opted for the highest starting height of the qualification field, deciding to begin her campaign at 4.55 metres, but in another shock moment at the Stade de France, she recorded three failed attempts at that height.

Caudery also broke down in tears, devastated and in disbelief.

In the French city of Toulouse in June, Caudery had cleared 4.92 metres — the highest jump by a woman this year.

Caudery's world lead is four centimetres ahead of this year's second-ranked jumps: the 4.88-metre vaults achieved by Kennedy and Switzerland's Angelica Moser.

"It's honestly heartbreaking," Caudery said.

"Not the experience I was hoping for and I am so sorry for everyone back home."

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Kennedy was asked in the media mixed zone after the qualification round what she made of the results.

"In the Olympic final, where you win medals, you have to get there," Kennedy said.

"The build-up is the hardest part, the qualifying is one of the hardest parts. You've got to respect the journey, you've got to respect the process. I've left no stone unturned and people have fallen by the wayside. It's all part of it."

Kennedy and the US' Katie Moon, the two women who shared gold at the world championships in Budapest last year, await another clash in the final, set to take place on Thursday morning (AEST).

Kennedy entered the qualification round at 4.40, which she nailed with her first attempt, and the West Australian then made light work of 4.55.

"You don't want to open too high, you don't want to open too early and you want to maintain energy," Kennedy said.

"I did it at Eugene [at the 2022 world championships], I've done it in Budapest [at last year's world championships], so I did feel quite confident coming out here and knowing how to handle that.

"I'm really excited [for the final]. I really believe in myself, I believe in my team, I'm ready to roll the dice and I'm really excited to see what happens."