Nina Kennedy wins gold medal in Olympic pole vault

Nina Kennedy has won a record 18th gold medal for Australia at the Paris Olympics, soaring to victory in the women’s pole vault.

After an early miss at 4.70m, the 27-year-old Kennedy was flawless at her next three heights, going over 4.80m, 4.85 and 4.90m at the first attempt.

She missed her first attempt at 4.95m but it didn’t matter, with 4.90m enough to secure the gold.

It was Australia’s fourth gold medal of a magnificent Wednesday in Paris, lifting the nation’s overall tally to a record 18 golds with four days of competition still to come.

The previous best total haul was 17 golds at the Athens 2004 Games and again three years ago in Tokyo.

American Katie Moon claimed the pole vault silver on countback from Canada’s Alysha Newman.

Kennedy’s first global medal was bronze at the 2022 world championships.

She then tied for the gold with Moon at last year’s world titles in Budapest.