ZURICH: Australian Nina Kennedy, fresh from sharing world championships gold with American Katie Moon in Budapest last week, ensured a stand-alone victory in another nail-biting pole vault competition at the Zurich Diamond League meeting on Wednesday.

Kennedy and Moon, who won Olympic gold in Tokyo two years ago and took the 2022 world title in Eugene under her maiden name of Nageotte, shared gold after tying in the Hungarian capital.

There was no shortage of drama in Zurich, but another shared victory never looked likely as Kennedy won with an Oceania record, personal best and meet record of 4.91 metres.The pole vault was held a day earlier than the main Diamond League programme at the famed Letzigrund Stadium, on a specially constructed track at Zurich Hauptbahnhof, the city’s main train station.

A seated temporary tribune overlooked the runway, while thousands of commuters swelled around the landing mat, lending the event a surreal feeling as trains pulled in and out of platforms just metres away.

Dance music boomed and the crowd, often just passing, were left roaring in delight or gasping in disappointment as the 10-strong field took it in turns to thunder down the raised track.

American Sandi Morris twice pulled it out of the bag, vaulting clear at the third time of asking at 4.66 and 4.76.

Moon, however, vaulted just once until then, clearing 4.66m with ease.

Published in Dawn, September 1st, 2023