Comeback queen Kelsey-Lee Barber seals magical moment with a kiss

For so much of this year, Kelsey-Lee Barber couldn’t figure out what was going wrong. Remarkably, she’s now an Olympic bronze medallist.

Kelsey-Lee Barber sealed her bronze medal with a kiss. Picture: Alex Coppel.

Kelsey-Lee Barber made a remarkable recovery in Tokyo, going from staring at an early exit to winning the bronze medal.

The Australian star saved her best for last by launching her javelin 64.56m on the sixth and final attempt to secure herself a spot on the podium.

She was already guaranteed bronze heading into that last throw but still had a chance to sneak up into silver. She fell just 6cm short of second place but was rightfully ecstatic to finish third.

Barber broke down in tears as she hugged and kissed her coach and husband Mike.

Barber came back from the brink. Picture: Alex Coppel.

Her biggest supporter was there to celebrate with her. Picture: Alex Coppel.

The result is even more extraordinary when you consider what the two-time Commonwealth Games medallist and 2019 world champion has endured in the lead-up to the Olympics. She’d been suffering from the “yips” all season. The harder she tried, the worse she performed and she couldn’t understand what was going wrong.

Barber’s Olympic campaign was almost over at the first hurdle. As her heat wound down, the 29-year-old had only produced a best throw of 53.82m — close to 14m off her personal best.

Thankfully, she rebounded to send a throw 62.59m and qualify for the final. The rest is history.

“I’ve said a few times that this year has challenged me in so many ways. I’m not going to lie to you, there were moments this year where Mike and I were sitting and I was crying, I wasn’t sure if I was going to make it here, let alone think I was going to medal,” Barber told Channel 7.

“I think the thing was … I love it. I didn’t want to give it up and I didn’t want to stop fighting for it. So I pursued and I worked hard for it and we found a way.”

Barber secured Australia’s second medal on the track.

Seven’s athletics commentator David Culbert explained just what Barber had been battling in 2021.

“She went from last to third in the final round of the qualifying to make the final,” he said.

“Kelsey-Lee Barber, after all she’s been through … she’s had the yips, she could hardly throw it past her toes for a little while, somehow she’s got herself on the podium.

“A magnificent competition. For where she has been — she came in with a season’s best of 61m. She improved that in the qualifying. She’s thrown four throws in excess of that in this final. Hats off, Kelsey-Lee Barber.

“During the Australian season, seriously, she could hardly throw it. She had the yips, she couldn’t work out (what was wrong), she was trying too hard. Physically she was fine, mentally she was shot.

“Her and Mike somehow have managed to conjure up a magnificent competition here.”

Tears of joy flowed freely.

Turkey’s Eda Tugsuz had one last roll of the dice to knock Barber out of third spot, but her last throw finished 4cm short of the Aussie.

China’s Shiying Liu won gold with 66.34m and Poland’s Maria Andrejczyk claimed silver with a best of 64.61m.

Of the other Australians competing in the javelin final, Kathryn Mitchell was sixth and Mackenzie Little finished eighth.