Soaring in Sweden: Olyslagers, Duplantis hit heights
High jumper Nicola Olyslagers and 3000m runner Linden Hall made it a special day for Australian athletics at the Stockholm Diamond League meet but they were still mere support acts to another world-record show-stopper from the incredible Armand Duplantis.
Pole vaulter supreme 'Mondo' wowed his home fans in the Swedish capital's venerable Olympic Stadium on Sunday by soaring to 6.28 metres -- the 12th time the 25-year-old has set a fresh landmark.
The double Olympic champ improved his previous mark, set in February, by one centimetre on his first attempt.
Australian Kurtis Marschall had to settle for second with a 5.90m vault before his great pal Duplantis cleared 6.00m and set the stage for his record-busting vault, making the new landmark look preposterously easy.
'Mondo' sprinted away from the landing mat in ecstasy, tore off his vest to celebrate his first ever world record on Swedish soil and declared: "This was one of my biggest goals and dreams, to set a world record here."
Of his landmark leap, he added: "I almost couldn't believe it, it felt like the very first time I broke the record. It feels unreal, I'm just so happy, it's a cloud nine feeling. It's hard to explain, it's hard to compare, it felt a bit like the Olympics.
"My grandma, she wanted me to promise yesterday that I would break the world record today - so I had a lot of pressure on me to do that in front of her, and I'm glad I could do it for her."
He reckoned he would celebrate with a night on the town in Stockholm with the visiting sprint king Usain Bolt, who was watching from the stands.
Earlier, Paris silver medallist Olyslagers had outjumped her Olympic conqueror Yaroslava Mahuchikh with an equal season's-best 2.01m leap to the Ukrainian star's 1.99m.
Olyslagers' domestic rival Eleanor Patterson was joint-fourth with a 1.91m effort.
"That felt great, jumping out there in those conditions," Olyslagers said.
"I take great inspiration competing against other world-class high jumpers, and am managing the travel to and from Australia by allowing myself more time -- and it is working."
In the 3000m, the 33-year-old Victorian veteran Hall enjoyed the best win of her career as she knocked over five seconds off her personal best, battling home to clock 8min 30.01sec and oust Ugandan Sarah Chelengat by 1.26sec.
"I won a 1500 metres here a few years ago but hadn't won a Diamond League race before. I've finally got there so it's pretty cool," beamed Hall.
"I hadn't started well but I got to the last 600 and thought 'I've got a little more in the legs'. This is my favourite Diamond League and now this only adds to that."
Two other Australians ended on the podium, with Queenslander Ky Robinson finishing third in the men's 5000m in a lifetime best 12:58.38 behind Swedish winner Andreas Almgren's European record 12:44.27, and Matthew Denny's 68.14m throw earning him bronze in the discus.
With agencies
High jumper Nicola Olyslagers and 3000m runner Linden Hall made it a special day for Australian athletics at the Stockholm Diamond League meet but they were still mere support acts to another world-record show-stopper from the incredible Armand Duplantis.
Pole vaulter supreme 'Mondo' wowed his home fans in the Swedish capital's venerable Olympic Stadium on Sunday by soaring to 6.28 metres -- the 12th time the 25-year-old has set a fresh landmark.
The double Olympic champ improved his previous mark, set in February, by one centimetre on his first attempt.
Australian Kurtis Marschall had to settle for second with a 5.90m vault before his great pal Duplantis cleared 6.00m and set the stage for his record-busting vault, making the new landmark look preposterously easy.
'Mondo' sprinted away from the landing mat in ecstasy, tore off his vest to celebrate his first ever world record on Swedish soil and declared: "This was one of my biggest goals and dreams, to set a world record here."
Of his landmark leap, he added: "I almost couldn't believe it, it felt like the very first time I broke the record. It feels unreal, I'm just so happy, it's a cloud nine feeling. It's hard to explain, it's hard to compare, it felt a bit like the Olympics.
"My grandma, she wanted me to promise yesterday that I would break the world record today - so I had a lot of pressure on me to do that in front of her, and I'm glad I could do it for her."
He reckoned he would celebrate with a night on the town in Stockholm with the visiting sprint king Usain Bolt, who was watching from the stands.
Earlier, Paris silver medallist Olyslagers had outjumped her Olympic conqueror Yaroslava Mahuchikh with an equal season's-best 2.01m leap to the Ukrainian star's 1.99m.
Olyslagers' domestic rival Eleanor Patterson was joint-fourth with a 1.91m effort.
"That felt great, jumping out there in those conditions," Olyslagers said.
"I take great inspiration competing against other world-class high jumpers, and am managing the travel to and from Australia by allowing myself more time -- and it is working."
In the 3000m, the 33-year-old Victorian veteran Hall enjoyed the best win of her career as she knocked over five seconds off her personal best, battling home to clock 8min 30.01sec and oust Ugandan Sarah Chelengat by 1.26sec.
"I won a 1500 metres here a few years ago but hadn't won a Diamond League race before. I've finally got there so it's pretty cool," beamed Hall.
"I hadn't started well but I got to the last 600 and thought 'I've got a little more in the legs'. This is my favourite Diamond League and now this only adds to that."
Two other Australians ended on the podium, with Queenslander Ky Robinson finishing third in the men's 5000m in a lifetime best 12:58.38 behind Swedish winner Andreas Almgren's European record 12:44.27, and Matthew Denny's 68.14m throw earning him bronze in the discus.
With agencies
High jumper Nicola Olyslagers and 3000m runner Linden Hall made it a special day for Australian athletics at the Stockholm Diamond League meet but they were still mere support acts to another world-record show-stopper from the incredible Armand Duplantis.
Pole vaulter supreme 'Mondo' wowed his home fans in the Swedish capital's venerable Olympic Stadium on Sunday by soaring to 6.28 metres -- the 12th time the 25-year-old has set a fresh landmark.
The double Olympic champ improved his previous mark, set in February, by one centimetre on his first attempt.
Australian Kurtis Marschall had to settle for second with a 5.90m vault before his great pal Duplantis cleared 6.00m and set the stage for his record-busting vault, making the new landmark look preposterously easy.
'Mondo' sprinted away from the landing mat in ecstasy, tore off his vest to celebrate his first ever world record on Swedish soil and declared: "This was one of my biggest goals and dreams, to set a world record here."
Of his landmark leap, he added: "I almost couldn't believe it, it felt like the very first time I broke the record. It feels unreal, I'm just so happy, it's a cloud nine feeling. It's hard to explain, it's hard to compare, it felt a bit like the Olympics.
"My grandma, she wanted me to promise yesterday that I would break the world record today - so I had a lot of pressure on me to do that in front of her, and I'm glad I could do it for her."
He reckoned he would celebrate with a night on the town in Stockholm with the visiting sprint king Usain Bolt, who was watching from the stands.
Earlier, Paris silver medallist Olyslagers had outjumped her Olympic conqueror Yaroslava Mahuchikh with an equal season's-best 2.01m leap to the Ukrainian star's 1.99m.
Olyslagers' domestic rival Eleanor Patterson was joint-fourth with a 1.91m effort.
"That felt great, jumping out there in those conditions," Olyslagers said.
"I take great inspiration competing against other world-class high jumpers, and am managing the travel to and from Australia by allowing myself more time -- and it is working."
In the 3000m, the 33-year-old Victorian veteran Hall enjoyed the best win of her career as she knocked over five seconds off her personal best, battling home to clock 8min 30.01sec and oust Ugandan Sarah Chelengat by 1.26sec.
"I won a 1500 metres here a few years ago but hadn't won a Diamond League race before. I've finally got there so it's pretty cool," beamed Hall.
"I hadn't started well but I got to the last 600 and thought 'I've got a little more in the legs'. This is my favourite Diamond League and now this only adds to that."
Two other Australians ended on the podium, with Queenslander Ky Robinson finishing third in the men's 5000m in a lifetime best 12:58.38 behind Swedish winner Andreas Almgren's European record 12:44.27, and Matthew Denny's 68.14m throw earning him bronze in the discus.
With agencies
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
AU Financial Review
2 hours ago
- AU Financial Review
Regional SA, NSW towns to lose free-to-air AFL and cricket
Substantial areas of South Australia and NSW could lose free-to-air coverage of the AFL, Australian cricket Tests and the Big Bash League after regional network WIN announced it would stop broadcasting Channel Seven there from July 1. The Riverland and Mount Gambier regions east and south-east of Adelaide and the area around the NSW town of Griffith will lose the signal for channels Seven, 7mate and 7two from next month after WIN said Seven had refused to renew a commercial agreement.
News.com.au
2 hours ago
- News.com.au
Mondo Duplantis breaks pole vault World Record for incredible 12th time
Mondo Duplantis has broken the pole vault World Record at the prestigious Diamond League event in Stockholm.
The Advertiser
3 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Rowers back among the medals after Paris Olympics flop
Back on the water after their worst Olympic performance in 36 years, the Australian rowing team has claimed five medals at the World Cup in Varese, Italy. Triple Olympian Alex Hill, winner of a Tokyo gold and Rio silver medal in the men's four, led a new-look crew to victory as his squad sought to rebound after a lean Paris yield. Australian rowers left France with just one bronze, won by women's pair Annabelle McIntyre and Jess Morrison, which prompted a searching review of the high performance program. The 2024 result brought to an end a stunning run by Australian crews which had yielded seven medals, including three gold from the quartet dubbed the "Oarsome Foursome". Hill was joined in Italy by two new faces in the boat in Nikolas Pender and Austin Reinehr as well as Fergus Hamilton, who was part of the crew that finished last in the Paris final. The Australians executed a measured and clinical race to take the gold medal, surging ahead of both Dutch crews in the closing stages. Veteran Paralympian Erik Horrie also claimed gold, dominating the PR1 men's single sculls final to clinch his first World Cup win since 2022. After winning Tokyo gold, a reworked women's four failed to make the final in Paris. A new selection picked up silver in Varese in Jaime Ford, Eliza Gaffney, Georgina Rowe and Jacqueline Swick. Lisa Greissl and Sam Stunell, racing together internationally for the first time, also won silver in the PR3 mixed double sculls. The women's eight added bronze after battling through a highly competitive final, finishing just behind Great Britain and the United States. Rowing Australia Performance Director Paul Thompson praised the team's execution and composure, with 17 rowers making their senior debut, signalling a generational change. "It's not just about the results - what's pleasing is how these crews are going about it," Thompson said. "Erik (Horrie) and the men's four were outstanding and we've got some new rowers on the podium, which is great to see." Back on the water after their worst Olympic performance in 36 years, the Australian rowing team has claimed five medals at the World Cup in Varese, Italy. Triple Olympian Alex Hill, winner of a Tokyo gold and Rio silver medal in the men's four, led a new-look crew to victory as his squad sought to rebound after a lean Paris yield. Australian rowers left France with just one bronze, won by women's pair Annabelle McIntyre and Jess Morrison, which prompted a searching review of the high performance program. The 2024 result brought to an end a stunning run by Australian crews which had yielded seven medals, including three gold from the quartet dubbed the "Oarsome Foursome". Hill was joined in Italy by two new faces in the boat in Nikolas Pender and Austin Reinehr as well as Fergus Hamilton, who was part of the crew that finished last in the Paris final. The Australians executed a measured and clinical race to take the gold medal, surging ahead of both Dutch crews in the closing stages. Veteran Paralympian Erik Horrie also claimed gold, dominating the PR1 men's single sculls final to clinch his first World Cup win since 2022. After winning Tokyo gold, a reworked women's four failed to make the final in Paris. A new selection picked up silver in Varese in Jaime Ford, Eliza Gaffney, Georgina Rowe and Jacqueline Swick. Lisa Greissl and Sam Stunell, racing together internationally for the first time, also won silver in the PR3 mixed double sculls. The women's eight added bronze after battling through a highly competitive final, finishing just behind Great Britain and the United States. Rowing Australia Performance Director Paul Thompson praised the team's execution and composure, with 17 rowers making their senior debut, signalling a generational change. "It's not just about the results - what's pleasing is how these crews are going about it," Thompson said. "Erik (Horrie) and the men's four were outstanding and we've got some new rowers on the podium, which is great to see." Back on the water after their worst Olympic performance in 36 years, the Australian rowing team has claimed five medals at the World Cup in Varese, Italy. Triple Olympian Alex Hill, winner of a Tokyo gold and Rio silver medal in the men's four, led a new-look crew to victory as his squad sought to rebound after a lean Paris yield. Australian rowers left France with just one bronze, won by women's pair Annabelle McIntyre and Jess Morrison, which prompted a searching review of the high performance program. The 2024 result brought to an end a stunning run by Australian crews which had yielded seven medals, including three gold from the quartet dubbed the "Oarsome Foursome". Hill was joined in Italy by two new faces in the boat in Nikolas Pender and Austin Reinehr as well as Fergus Hamilton, who was part of the crew that finished last in the Paris final. The Australians executed a measured and clinical race to take the gold medal, surging ahead of both Dutch crews in the closing stages. Veteran Paralympian Erik Horrie also claimed gold, dominating the PR1 men's single sculls final to clinch his first World Cup win since 2022. After winning Tokyo gold, a reworked women's four failed to make the final in Paris. A new selection picked up silver in Varese in Jaime Ford, Eliza Gaffney, Georgina Rowe and Jacqueline Swick. Lisa Greissl and Sam Stunell, racing together internationally for the first time, also won silver in the PR3 mixed double sculls. The women's eight added bronze after battling through a highly competitive final, finishing just behind Great Britain and the United States. Rowing Australia Performance Director Paul Thompson praised the team's execution and composure, with 17 rowers making their senior debut, signalling a generational change. "It's not just about the results - what's pleasing is how these crews are going about it," Thompson said. "Erik (Horrie) and the men's four were outstanding and we've got some new rowers on the podium, which is great to see."
