World Athletics Championships: Australian Eleanor Patterson wins women’s high jump

Three years ago Eleanor Patterson was lost to athletics, but after finding a new coach, the high jumper is now on top of the world after a stunning win at the world championships.

Eleanor Patterson clears the bar in the high jump final. Picture: Hannah Peters/Getty Images

It started with a welfare check and ended with a world title.

Three years ago Eleanor Patterson was lost to athletics. She had won a Commonwealth Games high-jump gold medal while still at school but the breakdown of a toxic coaching situation saw her disillusioned with the sport and battling depression.

Alex Stewart was Australia’s leading high-jump coach, the mentor of new Commonwealth Games champion Brandon Starc. He knew more than most what a loss the prodigious talent of Patterson was to the sport.

He was in Sydney, Patterson lived in Leongatha, a small country town 135km south-east of Melbourne.

In 2019 Stewart picked up the phone and called Patterson. He had tried to keep in touch, just to show he cared but didn’t always hear back. This time he did and this time it was different.

Eleanor Patterson celebrates her gold medal win at the World Athletics Championships.

Something clicked and soon afterwards Patterson had packed up her life and headed to the Harbour City to work with Stewart.

That move set off a chain of events which culminated on Wednesday in Eugene, Oregon, with Patterson becoming a world champion — only the 10th in Australia’s rich track and field history.

“Glasgow (Commonwealth Games) does feel like a lifetime ago but I’m a different Eleanor in so many facets,” she said. “In the last three years my life has changed so much.”

Patterson, 26, became the first Australian woman to win a world or Olympic high jump title by producing a brilliant first-up clearance at 2.02m that equalled the Australian record.

“I’m actually, honestly in disbelief,” she said. “It’s crazy to think I’m going to be shaking my head in disbelief for the whole week, month, year, who knows?

“I didn’t make it easy for myself. The calibre of women I was up against was phenomenal and they were clearing everything first time, they were doing amazing things.

ELEANOR PATTERSON

World High Jump Champion!!!!!

What a story - freak junior, won 🌎 Youth title, suffered a toxic relationship, retired from the sport so young, a phone call from Alex Stewart to check in on her, she comes back to the sport - Olympic Final, Indoor 🥈 - now 🌎 🥇

— Jason Richardson (@JaseRicho) July 20, 2022

Eleanor Patterson on 🔥 in high jump final! https://t.co/K9iRxqP6hU

— Travis Meyn (@travismeyn) July 20, 2022

GOLD FOR ELEANOR PATTERSON!

Mahuchihk can't clear 2.04m which means it is the Aussie who wins it!

The first Aussie woman to ever get a World Champs medal in the women's high jump, let alone win the thing!#WCHOregon22

— Lachlan McKirdy (@LMcKirdy7) July 20, 2022

AND YOUR NEW WORLD CHAMPION IS ELEANOR PATTERSON!!!!!!!!!!

— Athletics Australia (@AthsAust) July 20, 2022

“There were a number of moments where I had to dig deep to remain alive and also secure a medal and then see if I could stay on top of the podium. And somehow I’ve been able to bring that to fruition.”

Patterson almost bid farewell early in the final when she had two misses at 1.98m. But she recovered quickly, clearing 2.00m at her second attempt before producing the leap of her life, soaring over 2.02m.

That life-changing jump was too much for favourite, Ukraine’s Yaroslava Mahuchikh, who blew her first attempt at 2.02m. When both missed all three attempts at 2.04m, the gold was the Australian’s on a countback.

“I knew I could clear that height (2.02m) and to do that on the first attempt was amazing,” Patterson said. “I’m overjoyed I could even clear that height. I knew it was within me but to bring it out tonight under such pressure, I’m just so proud of myself.”

Olympic silver medallist Nicola Olyslagers (nee McDermott) finished fifth, clearing 1.96m before bombing out at 1.98m.

Patterson rose to fame at the 2014 Commonwealth Games as an 18-year-old who combined school studies with winning a gold medal in Glasgow.

Eleanor Patterson with her gold.

Australia's Eleanor Patterson roars after an impressive jump.

In 2015 she made the world championships final — the first Australian woman to do so — finishing eighth. Her Olympic debut in Rio ended in tears after she failed to get out of qualifying.

As her world started to implode, Patterson made a last-ditch attempt to qualify for the 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast but missed selection.

After hooking up with Stewart, there were signs quickly that the old Patterson was back and in 2020 she set a new Australian record of 1.99m.

At the Tokyo Games last year she took a backseat to her Australian teammate, finishing fifth in the Olympic final behind Olyslagers.

The roles have been reversed this year with Patterson claiming the magical 2.00m barrier for the first time enroute to winning the silver medal at the world indoor championships.

Meanwhile, Stewart McSweyn finished ninth in a hot 1500m final which was won in a boilover by Britain’s Jake Wightman in 3min29.23sec from Norway’s Olympic champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen (3:29.47sec).

Australia’s Matthew Denny was sixth in a high-quality men’s discus final, with his best effort of 66.47m coming in the final round.