Olyslagers wins rain-soaked world high jump gold in Tokyo
Australian claims title on countback after a soggy, delayed final
Australian Olyslagers claimed the women's high jump title at the world championships in Tokyo on Sunday as a rain-soaked final forced delays and disruptions. She won the gold on a countback over Poland's Maria Zodzik, eight years after her world championships debut in London.
With the weather delaying and suspending the competition twice, the 29-year-old cleared the first three heights at the first attempt and remained in medal contention as only three jumpers stood when action resumed: Olyslagers, Zodzik and Ukraine's Yaroslava Mahuchikh. Olyslagers faced three close attempts at 2.02m, but it didn't matter as Zodzik and Mahuchikh couldn't clear that height either.
Olyslagers has dominated the season, winning a second World Indoors title and the Diamond League crown, and setting an Australian outdoor record of 2.04m last month in Zurich.
In the final standings, reigning world and Olympic champion Yaroslava Mahuchikh and Serbia's Angelina Topic tied for bronze on 1.97m, while Australian Eleanor Patterson, the 2022 world champion, finished fifth on countback at 1.97m.
The win represents a global-title breakthrough eight years after that debut disappointment in London. Olyslagers has long been rated the world No. 1 and has used the year to build toward this moment, turning the page on past setbacks. She also provided a window into her preparation and mindset after the race, saying, "I've seen year-by-year a gradual performance up. But when I came last, I remember standing out there and I had so much peace because I knew that my performance didn't determine my identity and value. So then coming in as world No.1, the pressure was off because I knew that if you can't lose anything when you come last, you can't gain anything when you come first. So let's go out there and do it."
The Australian added that the rain delays were not a holiday but a battleground, and noted that her journal — long saturated with notes between jumps — helped her stay focused enough to finish with a gold medal.