Nina Kennedy

{{Infobox sportsperson

| name = Nina Kennedy

| honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|country=AUS|size=100|OAM}}

| image = Pole Vault Women MEETING STANISLAS TOMBLAINE 2018 Stade Raymond Petit (43082789941).jpg

| caption = Kennedy in 2018

| nationality = Australian

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1997|4|5|df=yes}}

| birth_place = Busselton, Western Australia

| education = University of Notre Dame Australia

| height = 1.65 m{{cite web |url=https://results.gc2018.com/en/athletics/athlete-profile-n6029602-nina-kennedy.htm |title=Nina Kennedy |website=gc2018.com |publisher=Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games |access-date=28 April 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180429025301/https://results.gc2018.com/en/athletics/athlete-profile-n6029602-nina-kennedy.htm |archive-date=29 April 2018 |url-status=dead}}

| weight = 60 kg

| country = Australia

| sport = Athletics

| event = Pole vault

| pb = {{ubl|Outdoor: 4.91 m (2023 {{AthAbbr|NR|Australian}})|Indoor: 4.60 m (2018)}}

| show-medals = yes

| medaltemplates =

{{Medal|Country|{{AUS}}}}

}}

Nina Kennedy (born 5 April 1997)[https://thewest.com.au/sport/commonwealth-games/commonwealth-games-2018-wa-pole-vaulter-nina-kennedy-bounces-back-from-tough-time-ng-b88752796z "Commonwealth Games 2018: WA pole vaulter Nina Kennedy bounces back from tough time"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180406102216/https://thewest.com.au/sport/commonwealth-games/commonwealth-games-2018-wa-pole-vaulter-nina-kennedy-bounces-back-from-tough-time-ng-b88752796z |date=6 April 2018 }} by Steve Butler, The West Australian, 26 February 2018 is an Australian athlete who holds the national record in the pole vault.{{cite web |url=https://worldathletics.org/athletes/australia/nina-kennedy-14407592 |title=Nina Kennedy |publisher=World Athletics |date=17 August 2022 |access-date=17 August 2022 |archive-date=2 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220802205725/https://worldathletics.org/athletes/australia/nina-kennedy-14407592 |url-status=live}} She won the gold medal at the 2024 Summer Olympics, 2023 World Athletics Championships (shared with American Katie Moon) and at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

Early years

Kennedy was born in Busselton, {{convert|225|km}} south of Perth. Her family moved to Perth and she completed primary school there. She attended secondary school at PLC Perth.{{Cite web |last=Kimlin |first=Jasmine |date=2021-03-15 |title=Nina Kennedy Jumps Into the Record Books |url=https://www.plc.wa.edu.au/nina-kennedy-jumps-into-the-record-books/ |access-date=2024-08-08 |website=Presbyterian Ladies' College |language=en-AU}} When she was 11 years old she joined her first club, Perry Lakes Little Athletics. Kennedy started pole vaulting one year later after a pole vault coach identified her talent at an athletics meet. In 2012, aged 14, Kennedy placed second in the senior Australian pole vault championships with a personal best of 4.10m. A year later she set a best of 4.31m and placed fifth at the IAAF World Youth (U18) Championships. At the 2014 IAAF World Juniors, she vaulted a personal best of 4.40m, just missing a medal to finish fourth.{{Cite web |title=Nina Kennedy |url=https://www.olympics.com.au/olympians/nina-kennedy/ |access-date=5 October 2021 |website=Australian Olympic Committee |language=en-AU |archive-date=5 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211005221627/https://www.olympics.com.au/olympians/nina-kennedy/ |url-status=live}}

Senior career

In February 2015 in Perth, Kennedy cleared 4.43m, then 4.50m and finally 4.59m – a world junior record. This qualified her for the 2015 World Championships in Beijing but she failed to clear the opening height in the qualification round.

In 2018, Kennedy raised her personal best to 4.60m and a week later moved to number three Australian all-time with a vault of 4.71m. At the National Championships she vaulted a 4.60m and defeated New Zealand's Olympic bronze medallist Eliza McCartney.

At the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games Kennedy won bronze. In early 2020, Kennedy cleared her second-best ever height of 4.61m and was consistent with eight consecutive competitions at 4.70m or higher.

At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics Kennedy jumped while injured, with a 4.40m clearance that placed 12th in her qualifier.{{Cite web |date=2 August 2021 |title=West Aussies eliminated in pole vault controversy |url=https://thewest.com.au/sport/tokyo-2020/tokyo-olympics-wa-pole-vaulter-liz-parnov-eliminated-nina-kennedy-still-jumping-as-rain-derails-contest-c-3576033 |access-date=5 October 2021 |website=The West Australian |language=en |archive-date=5 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211005220911/https://thewest.com.au/sport/tokyo-2020/tokyo-olympics-wa-pole-vaulter-liz-parnov-eliminated-nina-kennedy-still-jumping-as-rain-derails-contest-c-3576033 |url-status=live}}

Kennedy raised the Australian record to 4.82m at the 2021 Sydney Track Classic.{{Cite web |date=13 March 2021 |title=WA vault star's incredible record night |url=https://thewest.com.au/sport/athletics/wa-vaulter-and-olympic-hopeful-nina-kennedy-smashes-australian-record-ng-b881820565z |access-date=13 March 2021 |archive-date=13 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210313144158/https://thewest.com.au/sport/athletics/wa-vaulter-and-olympic-hopeful-nina-kennedy-smashes-australian-record-ng-b881820565z |url-status=live}}

At the 2022 World Athletics Championships, Kennedy won bronze with a clearance of 4.80m. This clearance saw Kennedy achieve the highest jump by an Australian at a World Athletics Championships, surpassing Alana Boyd's mark of 4.60m achieved at the 2015 World Athletics Championships held in Beijing. The next month, at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, Kennedy won gold with a clearance of 4.60m.{{Cite web |date=2 August 2022 |title=Kennedy completes stunning turnaround with pole vault gold |url=https://www.smh.com.au/sport/athletics/kennedy-completes-stunning-turnaround-with-pole-vault-gold-20220803-p5b6r3.html |access-date=2 August 2022 |website=The Sydney Morning Herald |language=en |archive-date=2 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220802220237/https://www.smh.com.au/sport/athletics/kennedy-completes-stunning-turnaround-with-pole-vault-gold-20220803-p5b6r3.html |url-status=live}}

At the 2023 World Athletics Championships, Kennedy won gold with a clearance of 4.90m, which she shared with the American athlete Katie Moon.{{cite news |title=Nina Kennedy shares pole vault gold in thrilling world athletics championships final |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-08-24/australian-nina-kennedy-shares-pole-vault-gold-world-champs/102769048 |access-date=24 August 2023 |publisher=ABCNews}}

Competition record

{{AchievementTable}}
colspan="6"\|Representing {{AUS}}
2013 \|style="text-align:left;"\|World Youth Championships \|style="text-align:left;"\|Donetsk, Ukraine \|5th \|4.05 m
2014 \|style="text-align:left;"\|World Junior Championships \|style="text-align:left;"\|Eugene, Oregon, US \|4th \|4.40 m
2015 \|style="text-align:left;"\|World Championships \|style="text-align:left;"\|Beijing, China \| – \|NM
2016 \|style="text-align:left;"\|World U20 Championships \|style="text-align:left;"\|Bydgoszcz, Poland \| – \|NM
rowspan=2\|2018 \|style="text-align:left;"\|World Indoor Championships \|style="text-align:left;"\|Birmingham, United Kingdom \|8th \|4.60 m
style="text-align:left;"\|Commonwealth Games \|style="text-align:left;"\|Gold Coast, Australia \|style="background-color:#cc9966;" \| 3rd \|4.60 m
2021 \|style="text-align:left;"\|Olympic Games \|style="text-align:left;"\|Tokyo, Japan \|22nd (q) \|4.40 m
rowspan=2\|2022 \|style="text-align:left;"\|World Championships \|style="text-align:left;"\|Eugene, Oregon, US \|style="background-color:#cc9966;" \| 3rd \|4.80 m
style="text-align:left;"\|Commonwealth Games \|style="text-align:left;"\|Birmingham, United Kingdom \|style="background-color:gold" \| 1st \|4.60 m
2023 \|style="text-align:left;"\|World Championships \|style="text-align:left;"\|Budapest, Hungary \|style="background-color:gold;" \| 1st= \|4.90 m
2024 \|style="text-align:left;"\|Olympic Games \|style="text-align:left;"\|Paris, France \|style="background-color:gold;" \| 1st \|4.90 m

colspan="6"|Representing {{AUS}}

2013

|style="text-align:left;"|World Youth Championships

|style="text-align:left;"|Donetsk, Ukraine

|5th

|4.05 m

2014

|style="text-align:left;"|World Junior Championships

|style="text-align:left;"|Eugene, Oregon, US

|4th

|4.40 m

2015

|style="text-align:left;"|World Championships

|style="text-align:left;"|Beijing, China

| –

|NM

2016

|style="text-align:left;"|World U20 Championships

|style="text-align:left;"|Bydgoszcz, Poland

| –

|NM

rowspan=2|2018

|style="text-align:left;"|World Indoor Championships

|style="text-align:left;"|Birmingham, United Kingdom

|8th

|4.60 m

style="text-align:left;"|Commonwealth Games

|style="text-align:left;"|Gold Coast, Australia

|style="background-color:#cc9966;" | 3rd

|4.60 m

2021

|style="text-align:left;"|Olympic Games

|style="text-align:left;"|Tokyo, Japan

|22nd (q)

|4.40 m

rowspan=2|2022

|style="text-align:left;"|World Championships

|style="text-align:left;"|Eugene, Oregon, US

|style="background-color:#cc9966;" | 3rd

|4.80 m

style="text-align:left;"|Commonwealth Games

|style="text-align:left;"|Birmingham, United Kingdom

|style="background-color:gold" | 1st

|4.60 m

2023

|style="text-align:left;"|World Championships

|style="text-align:left;"|Budapest, Hungary

|style="background-color:gold;" | 1st=

|4.90 m

2024

|style="text-align:left;"|Olympic Games

|style="text-align:left;"|Paris, France

|style="background-color:gold;" | 1st

|4.90 m

References

External links

{{World Athletics}}
[https://www.athletics.com.au/athlete/nina-kennedy/ Nina Kennedy] at Australian Athletics ([https://web.archive.org/web/20250121032624/https://www.athletics.com.au/athlete-profiles-directory/nina-kennedy/ archive])
[https://athletics.possumbility.com/athletes/athlete6111.htm Nina Kennedy] at Australian Athletics Historical Results
{{AOC profile|nina-kennedy}}
{{CGA profile|nina-kennedy}}
{{Olympics.com|nina-kennedy}}
{{Olympedia}}
[https://web.archive.org/web/20241006235546/https://www.olympics.com/en/paris-2024/athlete/nina-kennedy_1939839 Nina Kennedy] at the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics (archived, [https://paris2024.rtve.es/es/paris-2024/atleta/nina-kennedy_1939839 alternate link])
{{2022 Commonwealth Games profile|53438}}