Nina Kennedy clears 4.95m to win Monaco Diamond League pole vault and sets sights on 5 metres

The jump

Nina Kennedy, the Olympic champion from Australia, cleared 4.95 metres at the Monaco Diamond League on Friday evening, securing gold with a personal best. She took the bar on her first attempt, improving her previous record by four centimetres and setting a new Australian national record. The performance is the highest in the world since 2021, when Russia's Anzhelika Sidorova jumped 5.01 metres under a neutral flag. Kennedy now ranks fifth on the all-time list, tied with American Katie Moon, behind Sidorova and world-record holder Yelena Isinbayeva (5.06m). Kennedy, who won Olympic gold at Paris 2024, was competing at a venue she calls a favourite.

I know that I am in really good shape and pole vault is so technical, and I just had to put everything all together. Monaco is the place to do it, I always jump well here. It's a good runway, an amazing crowd and I am just really happy with how I jumped.

Comeback from injury

Kennedy's rise to 4.95 metres caps a difficult period. Last year, a hamstring injury forced her to take 12 months off, and she missed the 2025 World Championships. Her victory in Monaco is a statement of resilience after what she calls 'seven years of struggles.'

I would say through those seven years of struggles, I just showed up. That taught me a lot of resilience. I've learnt that lesson, and I'm going to take that through my career, but also through my life, my friendships and beyond that.

I've had a lot of fun, always a smile on my face and I guess the belief is always there to never give up.

Project 5 metres

With the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow starting in less than a fortnight, Kennedy is aiming higher still. She is the defending champion and now targets the five-metre barrier. She said she genuinely believes a 5-metre clearance is possible if everything aligns, and has dubbed the mission 'Project 5 metres.'

I genuinely believe that I can jump 5 metres, and I know if everything aligns I can do it. I still have a lot of competitions for the rest of the season, that's my goal. Project 5 metres is here.

Kennedy's 4.95 metres also marks the highest jump by an Australian, and her form suggests she could challenge Isinbayeva's 2009 world record.

Monaco meet highlights

The women's pole vault was not the only standout in Monte Carlo. World record holder Mondo Duplantis of Sweden won the men's event with a 6.07-metre clearance, a meet record. Australian Kurtis Marschall took bronze at 5.85 metres. In the women's javelin, Yan Ziyi of China threw 68.75 metres to win, while Australia's Mackenzie Little finished fifth with 57.67 metres. Ky Robinson placed 11th in the men's 5000 metres in 13 minutes 26 seconds. The meet also saw Emmanuel Wanyonyi set a world record in the 1000 metres.