Nicola Olyslagers holds nerve to win high jump gold medal at World Athletics Championships

In a rain-interrupted high-jump competition, the three-time bridesmaid on the world stage was a dominant force to claim the world title with a clearance of 2.00m.

The final had to be delayed several times as a deluge hit Tokyo’s National Stadium but the Australian held her nerve and importantly had a clean sheet across the competition to 2.00m which ended up being enough to claim gold.

Fellow Australian Eleanor Patterson finished equal fifth (1.97m).

Olyslagers said she used previous spiritual experiences to help her deal with the pressure, not only of being the favourite but in coping with the constant interruptions to the competition.

“When I came here in Tokyo (in 2021) I left with a silver medal, and I was blown away,” Olyslagers said.

“And now a gold. I was jumping tonight and I realised in 2017 I came dead last (at world championships), I didn’t clear the starting height.

“And I’ve seen year by year, just a gradual progression up but when I came last, I remember standing out there and I had so much peace, because I knew that my performance didn’t determine my identity and my value.

“So then coming in as number one, the pressure was off because I knew if you can’t lose anything when you come last, and you can’t gain anything if you come first. So let’s go out and do it.

“And so when the rain was pouring out there, and I was waiting for an hour between attempts, it was just a joy because the light was inside of me, and I knew that if Jesus was enough for me when I was last, he’s enough when I’m first.

“And every time that I was jumping. It was just worship.”

Olyslagers had three attempts at 2.02m as did Poland’s Maria Zodzik but because she’d had two misses at 2.00m, the victory went to the Australian.

Olympic champion Ukraine’s Yaroslava Mahuchikh finished equal third with Serbia’s Angelina Topic at 1.97m.

Olyslagers, 28, had been so close to the top of the podium at the last three majors starting with a silver medal at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, then a bronze medal at the 2023 Budapest world championships and silver again last year at the Paris Olympics.

She came into these championships as the world leader after jumping an Australian record 2.04m at the Diamond League Final in Zurich.

Olyslagers owed Mahuckikh one given she lost the Olympic gold medal last year on a countback after both cleared 2.00m.

That disappointment clearly spurred on the Australian who has had the most consistent season of her career, defending her world indoor title and then winning four Diamond League events.

Earlier Australia’s disastrous relay campaign continued with the men’s 4x100m team failing to get the baton around safely in the final.

On the final exchange Rohan Browning took off slightly early with Calab Law unable to get the baton to him inside the allocated box.

This came after the women’s 4x100m relay team stuffed up their opening exchange in the heats while the 4x400m men’s team was disqualified after breaking the national record because Aidan Murphy had infringed by stepping over the line.

Robinson stuns to just finish out of medals

Craig Mottram stunned the world when he won a bronze medal in the 5000m at the 2005 Helsinki world championships. On Sunday night Ky Robinson finished fourth in Tokyo.

In a stunning breakthrough performance the US-based Queenslander went within a stride — 0.28sec to be exact — of joining Mottram in the record books.

Robinson held his nerve in a star-studded line-up, refusing to go away and then surging to the line in 12min59.61sec. American Cole Hocker, the Paris Olympics 1500m champion, took the gold (12:58.30sec) from Belgium’s Isaac Kimeli (12:58.78sec) with Frenchman Jimmy Gresser (12:59.33sec) next.

Defending champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen hit the lead with two laps remaining before fading badly, finishing 10th.

“I mean, instantly over the line, there’s just sheer joy, sheer happiness and then a minute later the what ifs start kicking in,” Robinson said.

“It’s like, ‘Man, I’m one spot off a medal, what if I found a little bit more? But that’s hindsight. I feel like in the race I was just hoping that I could hang on for as long as possible.

“And I don’t know how but I managed to be there with about 400 metres to go. And then I’m like, well, we’ve got to kick now, we’ve got to see what’s left in the tank.

“This is the last race of the season, you have got to finish on empty. Then it was 200 to go, 150 to go and I was like let’s see how fast I can sprint.

“Unfortunately, three people can sprint a little bit faster than me over that final bit but I walk away from these championships basically as happy as I could.”

Robinson, 23, said he’d been inspired by Mottram’s brilliant career and hoped he could do the same for the next generation.

“He’s probably Australia’s greatest ever runner, and in terms of middle distance, and to be able to go out there and do something similar to what he’s done, it’s something to be proud of as he’s someone I look up to,” he said.

“And hopefully one day in the future there are kids who can look up to me and hopefully I can finish my career with some silverware around my neck.”

Robinson graduated from Stanford University last year with a Management Science and Engineering degree. He trains in Boulder with the On group coached by the highly regarded Dathan Ritzenhein.

After missing selection for the Paris Olympics, Robinson has had a brilliant season which included a bronze medal in the 3000m at the world indoor championships.

In the women’s 800m, Jessica Hull ran the second fastest time of her career but never really got close in an extraordinary final.

The 1500m bronze medallist from last week had her trademark slow start where she fell 10m off the pack over the opening 200m.

Hull predicted this as she doesn’t have the early speed of her rivals but unlike the semi-final where she was able to catch up by the bell, this time the Australian champion was at the tale throughout.

She still clocked an incredible 1min57.30sec for eighth place behind Kenya’s Lilian Odira who ran a championships record 1:54.62sec to beat Great Britain pair Georgia Hunter Bell and Keeley Hodgkinson.

Hull had set a new Australian 800m record in the semi-final when she finished third in 1:57.15sec.

DENNY FINISHES FOURTH IN WILD DISCUS THROW FINAL

Unfortunately it was back to normal programming for discus thrower Matt Denny who finished fourth again at the world championships.

In a competition which was marred by rain delays, Denny had been in the bronze medal position for most of the night before Samoa’s Alex Rose threw 66.96m with his second last throw.

The Australian was unable to improve on his best of 65.57m with his last throw so was destined for the position he is all too familiar with.

At last year’s Paris Olympics the 29-year-old Queenslander finally broke his curse and won the bronze medal.

Before that he had been fourth at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics and fourth at the 2023 Budapest world championships.

In a crazy wild competition Sweden’s Daniel Stahl stole the gold medal with the second last throw of the night, a stunning 70.47m which left world record holder Lithuania’s Mykolas Alekna with one chance to grab the title back but he fouled his attempt.

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Earlier the competition was postponed after Denny fell in the circle, narrowly avoiding suffering a serious injury to his ankle, because of the pouring rain.

In the end the discus final took four hours to complete with a dozen officials having to dry the circle with towels after each competitor.

It was a disappointing end to the season for Denny who broke his own national record and moved to second on the world’s all-time list with an incredible 74.78m throw in the USA in April.