Australia’s high jump stars Eleanor Patterson and Nicola Olyslagers have finished in the podium placings as their Olympic Games conqueror Yaroslava Mahuchikh again proved too strong in their Lausanne rematch.
Three weeks after consigning the duo to silver and bronze in the Paris Games – the first time Australia had two medallists in the same field event – world record holder Mahuchikh cleared 1.99m at the Diamond League meeting in Switzerland on Thursday to underline her dominance.
Unlike in the Stade de France battle though, this time it was 2022 world champion Patterson, the joint-bronze medallist in Paris, who grabbed the silver with her 1.96m clearance. Paris 2024 silver medallist Olyslagers had to settle for the bronze with a 1.92m best that enabled her to nick third place off German Christina Honsel on countback.
Patterson was thrilled to produce a season’s best, watched by her family.
“I competed here three years ago but I was exhausted and didn’t perform well,” said the 28-year-old. “This time, I felt energised and in one piece, and I managed to jump my season’s best.
“The atmosphere here is incredible, and having my parents in the crowd made it even more special.”
Even though Olyslagers had not performed to her Olympic heights, when both she and Mahuchikh went over two metres in Paris, the ever-positive 27-year-old was adamant she too had savoured every minute of her return to action.
“After the Olympics, it’s easy for motivation to wear, but I’m so grateful to be here, surrounded by so much love and positive energy,” the world indoor champion said. “The height tonight wasn’t what I wanted, but it’s more important to show up and inspire others. Lausanne is one of my favourite places, and I’m excited for what’s to come.”
Kurtis Marschall also finished on the podium, in joint third place, in the men’s pole vault after clearing 5.82m. The 27-year-old Australian had finished sixth at Paris 2024 with a leap of 5.85m. Marschall was unsuccessful at what would have been a season’s best of 5.92m as Sweden’s reigning Olympic champion Armand Duplantis continued his sensational winning streak with a new meet record of 6.15m.
The men’s 1500m was the highlight Olympic rematch of the night, with Jakob Ingebrigtsen gaining a belated, if convincing, measure of revenge for his shock defeat by surprise Paris champ Cole Hocker.
The Norwegian, whose fourth-place eclipse at the Stade de France was one of the shocks of the track programme, won comfortably this time by more than two seconds, clocking 3 min 27.83 sec to the American’s 3:29.85.
“For me, a lot of it has been mental including going home, taking some easy days and then getting back to work,” said Ingebrigtsen, who did at least take the Olympic 5000m gold after his metric mile disappointment. “Tonight’s race gave me good answers.”
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Two Australians, Stewie McSweyn (11th in 3:34.80) and Olli Hoare (12th 3:36.03) could only play a bit part in proceedings.
Performance of the night came from Olympic 800m champ Emmanuel Wanyonyi, who recorded the fourth-fastest two-lap time in history in his first race since the Games.
The 20-year-old Kenyan clocked 1 min 41.11 sec – 0.08 faster than his winning time in Paris – to tie Wilson Kipketer’s mark in 1997 that was a world record back then. Only Wanyonyi’s compatriot David Rudisha has run a faster 800, with his 12-year-old world record of 1:40.91 now surely on borrowed time.
Olympic 200m champion Letsile Tebogo was still looking fresh following a return trip home to a hero’s welcome in Botswana as he won the half-lap easing down in 19.64sec.
Australia’s Georgia Griffith was fifth in the women’s 3000m as Diribe Welteji of Ethiopia crossed the line first with a personal best and meet record of 8:21.50. Griffith’s time of 8:31.91 was well short of the national record of 8:24.20 that she set in her maiden Diamond League victory in Oslo in June.