Nina Kennedy jumps her way to bronze at 2022 World Athletics Championships

WAIS scholarship holder Nina Kennedy has claimed bronze at the 2022 World Athletics Championships, with her 4.80m clearance the highest by an Australian at a World Athletics Championships.

Kennedy’s medal was the first for a Western Australian since Kim Mickle in 2013 as she became just the 36th Australian in history to stand on the podium.

Having entered the meet as a medal favourite, following a second place finish at the Rabat Diamond League, the 25-year-old’s start to the competition was not smooth sailing. Kennedy cleared her opening height of 4.45m on her third attempt before finding her groove and clearing 4.60m, 4.70m and 4.80m on her first attempting, sending a warning to the competition.

After two misses at 4.85m, what would have been a person best, Kennedy passed and raised the bar to 4.90m hoping to move ahead of the reigning Olympic Champion Katie Nageotte and Sandi Morris. It was not to be though , with her 4.80m clearance, third highest in the world this year would seal her the bronze medal, Nageotte claimed gold with Morris silver.

“I was so nervous. I cleared my opening height on my third attempt and gave my coach (Paul Burgess) and myself a close heart attack but I came through.

“Going into this, your brain goes to every possibility before you reach the track. You go to the worst-case scenario which is no-heighting in the final and the best case which is clearing it. I stuck to what I know which is following my cues and I cleared it.

“I’m so happy with a bronze. It definitely gives me confidence going into the next few years ahead. Those girls are in their 30s. I’m still 25 so I have a few more years to crack that 90 bar.

“I think as athletes we are so used to wanting more but I’m going to soak this up. A bronze medal on the world stage is absolutely incredible and I think I’m going to enjoy this feeling for the next few days and next few weeks.”