Silver medallist Nicola Olyslagers reckons the women’s high jump produced the “perfect podium” in Paris after she and Eleanor Patterson became the first two Australians to medal in the same Olympic track and field event in 56 years.
New world record holder Yaroslava Mahuchikh was a deserving gold medallist, but Olyslagers pushed the great Ukrainian all the way on Sunday night with a clutch final clearance at 2m.
Mahuchikh claimed the gold on countback after neither jumper could get over at 2.02m.
The bronze was shared between Patterson and another Ukrainian, Iryna Gerashchenko, at 1.95m, also on countback.
The four athletes from the two nations who have dominated the women’s high jump in recent years then celebrated together on the mat.
“”(The Ukrainians) have been on the journey for such a long time and they’re dear friends, they’re not just competitors,” said Olsylagers, 27, who has now won back-to-back Olympic silvers.
“Especially Iryna and Eleanor to have shared the bronze medal; both of them at the Olympics Games last time they got fourth and fifth, both of them narrowly missing out on these big things.
“It was really beautiful.
“In my head, the perfect podium, tonight was it with the four of us sharing it together.
“But of course you want the Australian anthem and that means I’m just going to have to work harder for Los Angeles (in 2028).”
Not since Maureen Caird and Pam Ryan won gold and silver in the 80m hurdles at the 1968 Mexico City Games had two Australians medalled in the same Olympic athletics event.
It had never happened in a field event before.
Olyslagers gave herself 10 out of 10 for her nerveless clearance at 2m and the same score for her first crack at 2.02m when she just clipped the bar.
“If we’d moved that back just a step further maybe I’d have a different coloured medal around my neck,” she said.
“But that’s OK because it means in Los Angeles we know what to do when I get to 2.02.”
After an injury-interrupted year, Patterson, 28, arrived in Paris in good shape mentally and phsically, believing she was ready to jump higher than 1.95cm – well below her PB of 2.02m.
But in the end it proved enough to give her a first Olympic medal, having also won gold and silver at the last two world championships.
“It’s really not sunk in – that’s for sure,” she said.
“Especially with the disappointment of not clearing 1.98 and the self-analysis you can’t help but have as an athlete.
“You always want more and I know I’ve got a lot more in me in terms of my performance and my jumps.
“But then to come away with the bronze, I’m so, so proud.”
Once the gold medal was safely in her keeping on Sunday, Mahuchikh had one unsuccessful crack at 2.04m.
The Ukrainian broke the 37-year-old world record with a clearance of 2.10m at the Paris Diamond League meet at Stade de France in early July.
She also relegated Patterson and Olyslagers to the minor medal positions at the 2023 world championships in Budapest.
Reece Holder caused a boilover in the opening round of the men’s 400m, leading world No.1 Quincy Hall of the US into the final straight and holding on for third spot to advance to the semis on his Olympic debut.
Holder’s personal best time of 44.53 seconds moved him up up three places to second on the Australian alltime list behind Darren Clark.
“Without being too cocky my training splits have been a little bit faster than that so I was expecting to be out there,” said the 21-year-old Holder.
“But I didn’t think I’d do that in the heats, that’s for sure.”
Abbey Caldwell and Claudia Hollingsworth were eliminated in the women’s 800m semi-finals.
