Moments after leaving her rivals in her wake in the Diamond League yet again, Nicola Olyslagers set the bar even higher.
Australia’s high-jumping royalty leapt to gold under the Parisian sky, rising over 2.00m to claim back-to-back gold medals on the world’s premier athletics circuit.
It was her second jump that made the difference, relegating Ukrainian world record holder Yaroslava Mahuchikh to second and compatriot Eleanor Patterson to bronze in a familiar trio on the podium.
But despite her seventh success overall after her most recent win in Stockholm, Olyslagers is not entirely happy.
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“Tonight was great, it was the first time we jumped so late [at night], so for mindset it can be difficult,” she said.
“I’m very thankful for another 2m jump, but I really want a personal best, so we keep training.”
The NSW jumper has her sights set on equalling or bettering her own national record of 2.03m, one of the goals motivating her for future meets.
The dual Olympic silver medallist believes one way of improving is by getting stronger and boosting her endurance.
Opening her competition at 1.91m, the double world indoor champion said entering any later may not be worth the risk.
“I tend to have very strong jumps in the first five jumps of the competition and then it slowly goes down,” she said.
“1.91 is very high. We need to work to find the best possibility, or some more training, so I have the endurance to give my best at the end.”
Compatriot Patterson’s third-place finish (1.97m) was her third Diamond League podium of 2025 and the Victorian is closing in on the 2m barrier.
In the women’s 1,500m, Linden Hall finished fourth in 3:57:63 to prevail in the domestic battle including Victorians Georgia Griffith (4:01:36) and Abbey Caldwell (4:01:86) as Kenya’s Nelly Chepchirchir won the race in 3:57.02.
Next stop in the Diamond League, which offers significant world ranking points, is in Eugene, Oregon, on July 5.
AAP/Reuters
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