Australia at World Athletics championships results: Kurtis Marschall claims pole vault bronze

Kurtis Marschall was reduced to tears on Wednesday when training partner Nina Kennedy claimed a stunning gold in the women’s pole vault - and now he has a medal of his own.

Mackenzie Little celebrates with her bronze medal. Picture: Getty Images

Channeling his training partner’s trajectory is part of pole vault bronze medallist Kurtis Marschall’s game plan for Paris.

After his own career breakthrough at the world championships in Budapest, Marschall was happy to hitch himself to the coattails of the women’s gold medallist Nina Kennedy.

“I feel like I am just trying to follow in her footsteps, she won the bronze medal last year and now I win the bronze medal this year. Then she wins it (gold medal) this year so who knows what happens next year,” Marschall said.

“It’s going to be pretty tough when Mondo (Duplantis) is attempting a world record but let’s see what we can do in the next 12 months. I am pretty confident going into next year that I can hold onto this spot.

“She (Kennedy) has definitely inspired me and pushed me, I get to see her day-to-day and see how professional she is and how awesome she is at what she does.

“Just to be a part of her team and her to be a part of mine is just awesome. To be able to push one another during training while we are travelling and just be able to relate on that kind of level is awesome.”

Kurtis Marschall (R) reacts with Christopher Nilsen of Team United States. Picture: Getty

Marschall is in a unique situation as he’s essentially not going for gold given the domination of world record holder Duplantis.

He was in a league of his own in the world championship final, clearing 6.10m before having three unsuccessful attempts at a world record 6.23m.

Behind him Marschall produced an equalf career-best vault of 5.95m to share the bronze medal with America’s Christopher Nilsen. The Phillipines’ Ernest John Obiena took silver with a national record of 6.00m.

“One hundred percent I wasn’t even trying to compete against the guy (Duplantis), I know the guy is always going to come out and perform,” Marschall said.

“It was an abnormality in Monaco a couple of weeks ago where I managed to sneak one ahead of him but I don;t expect to ever be that guy for the rest of my career.

“And if I do, I am super lucky but I know that he is like a generational talent so to just be up in the medals with that guy who is pushing the sport forward, just to be a part of it is awesome.”

Marschall is taking inspiration from training partner, and women's pole vault joint gold medallist, Nina Kennedy. Picture: AFP

Marschall has a good relationship with the Swedish superstar who was encouraging him throughout the final.

“He’s just one of my idols so anything he has to say to me, it is just going to spur me on and Gee me up,” he said.

Being a part of the medal race was significant for the 26-year-old Australian given his recent poor record at major championships.

At the Tokyo Olympics he no-heighted in the final and then at last year’s world championships he bombed out in qualifying.

“Honestly this is just a little bit of confirmation that I can do this,” Marschall said. “I can be part of the medals, I knew I always could be. I had a pretty good junior career up to this point, then winning the Commonwealth Games and jumping a ‘95.

“This was just confirmation that if you can do that on the global stage, you’re going to be a part of the medals. This is where I want to be, this is what I want to do and this is a little bit of confidence going into next year.”

Marschall became the third Australia to medal in the men’s pole vault at a world championships joining Olympic champion Steve Hooker and Dmitri Markov.

Australia's Kurtis Marschall (L) shares a moment with fellow bronze medal winner Christopher Nilsen of the USA. Picture: AFP

MEDAL CEREMONY OR HOSPITAL SHIFT? JAVELIN STAR’S TRAVEL DILEMMA

She is the fly-in fly-out medical student who in her spare time is the third best javelin thrower in the world.

Mackenzie Little won Australia its third medal of the world championships on her last throw in the competition which briefly elevated her from fifth to second before ultimately having to settle for the bronze medal.

Throughout the European season Little, who is in her final year of postgraduate medicine at Sydney University, has flown out for hit-run missions, arriving the day before the competitions and getting on the plane straight after to ensure she’s back on the tools on Monday.

She was scheduled to fly out of Budapest on Saturday morning but now has to attend a medal ceremony which has thrown a spanner in her plans.

“My flight leaves tomorrow morning and I’m at the hospital (Royal North Shore) on Monday morning but I hear there’s a medal ceremony so we’re going to talk about that later,” Little said.

Mackenzie Little competes in the women's javelin final during day seven of the World Athletics Championships. Picture: Getty Images

Australians dropping bombs with their final throws at major championships has a familiar ring about it given Kelsey-Lee Barber’s heroics in recent times but this time she was upstaged by her young teammate.

Little stepped up when it mattered and delivered, throwing 63.38m — an almost two-metre improvement on her previous throws — to jump from fifth to second.

Her grip on the silver medal was short-lived with Japan’s Haruka Kitaguchi producing a stunning 66.73m throw on her final attempt to go from fourth to winning the gold medal.

Colombia’s Flor Denis Ruiz Hurtado who’d had the lead since her opening round heave of 65.47m was then relegated to silver.

Barber was unable to replicate her trademark late bursts which had won her the past two world titles with her best throw of 61.19m coming on her fifth attempt which saw her finish seventh.

Little, a Stanford graduate and former NCAA champion, is determined to keep her unorthodox routine next year in the lead-up to the Paris Olympics.

“My graduation ceremony is in December so I’ll be Dr Little at the Olympics,” she said.

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Mackenzie Little reacts during the women’s javelin final. Picture: Getty Images

“The plan (for next year) is the same but I’d like an upgrade (in medals).

“I have a lot of self belief now. It’s going to be hard and challenging next year, working full-time will be really difficult and emotionally draining too but I know I can find the balance and I’m excited for next year.

“I feel like I spent this year trying to prove myself, that this is how I compete best and the lifestyle I have with athletics and the way I compete is the best for me. I’m just going to continue that next year and I promise you it’s going to work.”

Over the past four months the 26-year-old has made three flying visits to Europe, another two to the United States and one to Japan.

The unusual but effective routine clearly works given she came into Budapest ranked No.3 in the world and won her first Diamond League title in Lausanne in late June with a personal best throw of 65.70m.

“This whole season I’ve been getting better and better. I’ve learnt to travel well and compete and nail those technical things,” Little said. “I feel like I’ve jumped up to a higher echelon of throwers and I’m now confident in global finals.

“It’s just exciting to be there and to have some expectations. This is absolutely a dream, the highlight of my career.”

Mackenzie Little celebrates with her bronze medal. Picture: Getty Images

A disappointed Barber said the final followed a similar path to her season where she’d just been a little bit off for a variety of reasons.

“It wasn’t like those magical throws I can describe tonight unfortunately,” Barber said. “I just missed all six of them all for slightly different reasons and this event is all about timing and finesse and tunneling that energy through so cleanly.

“And I wasn;t able to do that tonight.”

There was drama before the event with Australia’s Kathryn Mitchell announced to the crowd, where she waved and smiled but then a couple of minutes later was escorted out of the stadium.

It turned out Mitchell, who slammed her water bottle onto the track as she left in tears, had strained her abductor doing her final run through just moments before she was scheduled to take her opening throw.

Originally published as Australia at World Athletics championships results: Kurtis Marschall claims pole vault bronze