World Champs Womenâ€s High Jump — Olyslagers Ends Outdoor Title Wait

In sliding over 6-6¾ on her first go before the downpour began, Nicola Olyslagers earned a WC outdoor gold to hang besides her pair from indoor World Championships. (TAKASHI ITO/AGENCE SHOT)

AFTER TRIUMPHING AT the last two World Indoor Championships, and getting silver at the last two Olympic Games, Australiaâ€s Nicola Olyslagers finally acquired an outdoor global title.

Her first-time clearance at 6-6¾ (2.00) proved to be enough for gold in a competition abbreviated by a downpour of near-biblical proportions.

Six women went over 6-5½ (1.97) but the rain started to fall during the second attempts at that height. Then the heavens opened almost immediately after Olyslagers — the first jumper in the rotation for the extended 16-women field — extended her unblemished record with a clearance at 6-6¾ (2.00).

Four of the next five remaining jumped and failed in the rapidly deteriorating conditions before the officials called a halt to proceedings and a 40-minute hiatus ensued.

After the restart, nobody could clear the bar until, with the very last attempt at the height, Polandâ€s Maria Å»odzik miraculously went over to add 2cm to her PR.

A further 20-minute break ensued before the competition continued at 6-7½ (2.02) but neither Olyslagers — who only went very close with her second attempt — Å»odzik nor Ukraineâ€s â€24 Olympic champion and WR-holder Yaroslava Mahuchikh could navigate that height. Mahuchikh had passed up to the height after one failure at the previous bar.

Mahuchikh and Serbiaâ€s World U20 champion Angelina Topić, whose father and coach Dragutin was 4th at both the â€96 Olympics and â€99 WC, shared the bronze, with both women flawless up to 6-5½ (1.97).

Notably, 3 out of the 4 medalists — Å»odzik being the exception — took 6 jumps or less, a manifestation of the rain-truncated contest. The sight of Mahuchikh squeezing water out of her braids after each of her failures at 6-7½ provided additional evidence of the weatherâ€s extremity.

“It wasnâ€t a holiday out there,†understated Olyslagers. “I think this season I have had many hard competitions but the whole year has still been really great. I realized I had to stop holding onto my goals really tightly and be spontaneous, take risks, and really move by faith and not sight.â€

Olyslagers†Tokyo victory took her â€25 record to 9 wins from 12 meets including a world-leading 6-8¼ (2.04) to win the DL Final in Zürich. Among these victories, one was a tie for the top spot — at the Lausanne DL, another rain-soaked affair.

Sadly, there were no U.S. representatives in the final. Vashti Cunningham (the bronze medalist in â€19), Emma Gates and Sanaa Barnes were eliminated in the Q round.

WOMENâ€S HIGH JUMP RESULTS

FINAL (September 21)

1. Nicola Olyslagers (Aus) 6-6¾ (2.00);

2. Maria Żodzik (Pol) 6-6¾ (2.00) PR;

=3. Yaroslava Mahuchikh (Ukr) 6-5½ (1.97);

=3. Angelina Topić (Ser) 6-5½ (1.97);

=5. Yuliya Levchenko (Ukr) 6-5½ (1.97);

=5. Eleanor Patterson (Aus) 6-5½ (1.97);

=7. Christina Honsel (Ger) 6-4 (1.93);

=7. Morgan Lake (GB) 6-4 (1.93);

9. Elena Kulichenko (Cyp) 6-4 (1.93);

10. Merel Maes (Bel) 6-4 (1.93);

11. Imke Onnen (Ger) 6-4 (1.93);

=12. Fatoumata Balley (Gui) 6-2 (1.88);

=12. Michaela Hrubá (CzR) (Gui) 6-2 (1.88);

=12. Marija Vuković (Mont) 6-2 (1.88);

15. Rose Yeboah (Gha) 6-2 (1.88);

… nh—Elisabeth Pihela (Est).

6-2
6-4
6-5½
6-6¾
6-7½

Olyslagers
p
o
o
o
xxx

Mahuchikh
p
o
o
xp
xx

Patterson
o
o
xo
xxx
—

Honsel
o
o
xxx
—
—

Topic
o
o
o
xxx
—

Kulichenko
o
xo
xxx
—
—

Pihela
xxx
—
—
—
—

Lake
o
o
xxx
—
—

Hruba
o
xxx
—
—
—

Balley
o
xxx
—
—
—

Onnen
xo
xxo
xxx
—
—

Yeboah
xo
xxx
—
—
—

Levchenko
o
o
xo
xxx
—

Maes
o
xxo
xxx
—
—

Vukovic
o
xxx
—
—
—

Zodzik
xo
o
o
xxo
xxx

1.88
1.93
1.97
2.00
2.02

QUALIFYING (September 18; auto-qualifier 6-5½/1.97)

Qualifiers: Pihela, Kulichenko, Onnen, Balley & Maes cleared 6-2/1.88; all other finalists cleared 6-3½/1.92;

Non-Qualifiers: [6-2/1.88]—Lilianna Bátori (Hun),Dacsy A. Brisón (Cub), Vashti Cunningham (US), Emma Gates (US), Engla Nilsson (Swe), Kateryna Tabashnyk (Ukr), Nagisa Takahashi (Jpn) =PR, Emily Whelan (Aus);

[6-0/1.83]—Lia Apostolovski (Slo), Sanaa Barnes (US), Tatiána Goúsin (Gre), Idea Pieroni (Ita), Asia Tavernini (Ita);

… nh—Lamara Distin (Jam), Ellen Ekholm (Swe), Styliana Ioannidou (Cyp), Ella Junnila (Fin), Buse Savaşkan (Tur), Hellen Tenorio (Col), Britt Weerman (Neth).

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