Latest news with #Olyslagers
Perth Now
29 minutes ago
- Sport
- Perth Now
Winging in the rain: Olyslagers splashes to Diamond win
On a night fit for ducks in Lausanne, Nicola Olyslagers has defied the teeming rain to swan over the bar with just one bound and win her third Diamond League high jump in a row. The incessant downpour made it a fairly miserable night for athletes at the Swiss venue on Wednesday (Thursday AEST), but you still couldn't keep the smile from two-time Olympic silver medallist Olyslagers' face as she pulled off a successful gamble to share a three-way victory. Deciding to be the last jumper to enter the competition at 1.91m, Olyslagers feared the worst the more the track got deluged. "This is a very wet competition, so I decided to be bold and start high, like I usually do when it's good conditions, and when the rain started pouring down, then I was thinking, 'have I made the right decision?'" she reflected afterwards. "But in the end, it worked, because the one jump was the winning jump." Indeed, that proved her only clearance of the night as she went on to share first-place with Germany's Christina Honsel - who had three successful jumps - and Poland's Maria Zodzik, who had four. They all failed at 1.94m. Olyslagers' perennial domestic rival Eleanor Patterson also cleared 1.91m but a first-time failure at that height meant the other three shared the spoils. Ukraine's Olympic champion Yaroslava Mahuchikh had decided to quit the competition after two missed attempts at 1.86m and 1.91m, feeling it wasn't worth the risk with a wet run-up. The 28-year-old Olyslagers is in fine form leading into the world championships, her major target of the year, but success in the season-long Diamond League, the finals of which take place in Zurich next week, is another incentive. While Britain's Olympic champion Keely Hodgkinson continued her comeback to racing with a meeting 800m record of one minute 55.69 seconds, Australia's new national record holder Claudia Hollingsworth had to settle for seventh in 1:58.81. Liam Adcock (7.50m) was eighth in the long jump won by Uzbekistan's Anvar Anvarov (7.84), while Jack Rayner splashed home in 16th in the 5000m in 13:31.22. In a non-Diamond League event, Aussie speedster Torrie Lewis won the 100m A final in 11.31sec. In the meet's big 100m clash, Olympic champion Noah Lyles was beaten again by Oblique Seville, with the Jamaican's 9.87 run hugely impressive in the conditions. Lyle clocked 10.02 in his third straight 100m loss on the Diamond League circuit. "We can perform even in hurricanes," Seville beamed.
West Australian
16-06-2025
- Sport
- West Australian
Nicola Olyslagers and Linden Hall produce winning form ahead of World Athletics Championships
High jumper Nicola Olyslagers and distance runner Linden Hall are hitting top form ahead of September's World Athletics Championships following wins at the Stockholm Diamond League meet. Two-time Olympic silver medallist Olyslagers soared to a season-equalling 2.01m to beat Ukrainian Yaroslava Mahuchikh (1.99m) 'The competition was great,' Olyslagers said after beating Mahuchikh, who won gold in the event at last year's Paris Olympics. 'It was the first time I've skipped so many heights. I skipped 1.97 (metres) to go to 1.99, and it required me to be bold. 'I was a bit afraid in doing it but I had the faith to keep going. This victory has taught me a lot about myself and that the best is still to come. 'I got injured here last year and it took courage to come back and go 'no, this is a great competition', so to win was to win over my fears, so it was a really great day.' Olyslagers' fellow Australian Eleanor Patterson bowed out at 1.95m to finish equal fourth. Meanwhile, Victorian Hall ran an impressive final lap in the women's 3000m to beat Uganda's Sarah Chelangat in a personal best time of 8:30.01 and claim a Diamond League win for the first time. 'I ran a big 5km PB recently, so I was hoping that would translate into a good 3km,' Hall said. 'I didn't feel too good in the early stages of the race but luckily, I came good at the end. 'I did a lot of the work mostly by myself in the last kilometre, so it was really encouraging to get a five-second personal best. 'It's been a good season so far and a nice confidence booster.' Other strong performances from Australians included a silver-medal effort from pole vaulter Kurtis Marschall, who cleared 5.90m to claim second behind Olympic champion Mondo Duplantis, who sett a new world record of 6.28m. Bronze medals went to Ky Robinson, who produced a personal best of 12:58.38 in the 5000m, and his fellow Queenslander Matthew Denny, who placed third in the discus with a throw of 68.14m.
Perth Now
16-06-2025
- Sport
- Perth Now
Aussie pair claim Diamond League gold
High jumper Nicola Olyslagers and distance runner Linden Hall are hitting top form ahead of September's World Athletics Championships following wins at the Stockholm Diamond League meet. Two-time Olympic silver medallist Olyslagers soared to a season-equalling 2.01m to beat Ukrainian Yaroslava Mahuchikh (1.99m) 'The competition was great,' Olyslagers said after beating Mahuchikh, who won gold in the event at last year's Paris Olympics. 'It was the first time I've skipped so many heights. I skipped 1.97 (metres) to go to 1.99, and it required me to be bold. 'I was a bit afraid in doing it but I had the faith to keep going. This victory has taught me a lot about myself and that the best is still to come. 'I got injured here last year and it took courage to come back and go 'no, this is a great competition', so to win was to win over my fears, so it was a really great day.' Olyslagers' fellow Australian Eleanor Patterson bowed out at 1.95m to finish equal fourth. Linden Hall of Team Australia celebrates winning the Women's 3000m Final. Credit: Linnea Rheborg / Getty Images Meanwhile, Victorian Hall ran an impressive final lap in the women's 3000m to beat Uganda's Sarah Chelangat in a personal best time of 8:30.01 and claim a Diamond League win for the first time. 'I ran a big 5km PB recently, so I was hoping that would translate into a good 3km,' Hall said. 'I didn't feel too good in the early stages of the race but luckily, I came good at the end. 'I did a lot of the work mostly by myself in the last kilometre, so it was really encouraging to get a five-second personal best. 'It's been a good season so far and a nice confidence booster.' Other strong performances from Australians included a silver-medal effort from pole vaulter Kurtis Marschall, who cleared 5.90m to claim second behind Olympic champion Mondo Duplantis, who sett a new world record of 6.28m. Bronze medals went to Ky Robinson, who produced a personal best of 12:58.38 in the 5000m, and his fellow Queenslander Matthew Denny, who placed third in the discus with a throw of 68.14m.
Perth Now
15-06-2025
- Sport
- Perth Now
Soaring in Sweden: Olyslagers, Duplantis hit heights
Australian high jumper Nicola Olyslagers and 3000m runner Linden Hall made it a special day for Australian athletics at the Stockholm Diamond League meet but 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 new landmark. The double Olympic champ improved his previous record, set in February, by one centimetre on his first attempt, cheered to the rafters by an ecstatic home crowd. Australian Kurtis Marschall did his best to challenge the hometown hero but had to settle for second place 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 at Stadion. "I really wanted to do it, I had my whole family here, from both sides - it's magic, it's magic!" 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 Olympic champ Yaroslava Mahuchikh with an equal season's best 2.01m leap that the Ukrainian star couldn't match, clearing a best of 1.99m. Olyslagers' domestic rival Eleanor Patterson had to settle for joint-fourth with a 1.91m effort. "That felt great, jumping out there in those conditions," said Olympic silver medalist Olyslagers. "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 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 I 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." With agencies
News.com.au
04-05-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Aussie women shine on world stage with Diamond League podiums
Gout Gout has lifted athletics to a place in the Australian sports consciousness where it hasn't been for more than 50 years. But the teen tyro won't be doing the heavy lifting alone, with a gaggle of track and field athletes excelling on the world stage. Victorian Sarah Billings became the second-fastest Australian woman over 800m over the weekend when she finished second in the Shanghai Diamond League in a personal best time. Her 1min 57.83sec behind Ethiopia's Tsige Duguma (1:56.64), made her the only Aussie woman beside two-time Olympian Catriona Bisset to break the 1:58 barrier for the distance after crossing just 0.05sec outside Bisset's national record. It was a second Diamond League podium in a row for Billings, who was third in the 1000m at the opening Diamond League round of the year in Xiamen. The breakthrough campaign of Sarah Billings has rolled on at the Shanghai Diamond League which saw her become the second fastest Australian woman in history over 800m, finishing in second place as high jumpers Nicola Olyslagers and Eleanor Patterson also landed on the podium ðŸ'ŽðŸ'¥â€¦ — Australian Athletics (@AustralianAths) May 3, 2025 The 27-year-old, who has already qualified for the 1500m at the world championships in Tokyo later this year, heeded the advice of coach Nic Bideau, stepping on the gas in the final laps and waiting for gaps to open down the straight. 'Today I had a really clear race plan, I just wanted to go really hard at 300m (to go),' Billings said. 'My coach Nic told me this morning that gaps open up with 100m to go on the inside and to watch for it; I watched for it and some opened up. 'I have been picked for the World Championships in the 1500m already so that's still the main goal, but I think that (800m) was pretty close to the national record, so I'm just really happy.' High jump duo Nicola Olyslagers and Eleanor Patterson also stepped on to the podium in second and third place respectively, only bettered on the night by world record holder and Olympic champion, Ukraine's Yaroslava Mahuchikh. Olyslagers cleared 1.98m on her second attempt to separate herself from Patterson who finished with 1.95m. Mahuchikh was the only woman in the field to clear 2m, with a clean sheet to 2.00m, where Olyslagers missed all three attempts before the Ukrainian lifted the bar to 2.03m, missing her attempts. 'The competition today was a big improvement from last week (Xiamen Diamond League), I enjoyed it,' Olyslagers said. 'Today I had courage and I am thankful for that. 'This is the first time I have started my season a bit later, so every jump of course I want to be over 2m and getting personal bests but I have great faith that God will get me ready. I don't worry about the past, I just go forward.' In other results, pole vaulter Kurtis Marschall (5.72m) was fourth behind Olympic champ Mondo Duplantis, who set a meet record 6.11m, while Mackenzie Little was ninth in the javelin and Liam Adcock seventh in the pre-program long jump. On the track, South Australia's Matthew Clarke was 10th in the 3000m steeple chase, while rising Queensland middle distance runner Jude Thomas was 16th in the 5000m in his Diamond League debut.
