World Champion Nina Kennedy aiming high for pole vault Olympic gold despite broken back
“It is broken now” - World Champion pole vaulter Nina Kennedy’s extraordinary injury revelation as she strives for Paris Gold.
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Pole vault queen Nina Kennedy is attempting to win Olympic gold with a broken back.
The reigning world champion has been secretly dealing with the problem but confirmed that an issue from last year had flared up again in the countdown to Paris.
“Long story short it is broken again – it is broken now,” Kennedy said.
It is the third time in as many years that Kennedy has been grounded by the stress fracture in her L5 and L4.
An unusually shaped spine and the punishing physical demands on the body of her event; twisting, flipping five metres in the air and landing on her back are behind the problem.
After significant time off following her success at the Budapest world championships last year, the injury seemed to heal before rearing up after her first international competition of the season in Doha in May.
“It got better, but then around Doha we got a scan and it had broken again and was quite sore,” Kennedy said. “This happened last year in Budapest, leading up I knew it was fractured and it was so damn sore so we are just doing everything in our power to manage the symptoms.
“We’re managing training loads, managing jump numbers and how much impact the back can take. Instead of doing two smaller sessions we’re doing one big session and letting it recover more.
“Is it an ideal prep? No, but what is really special about sport, especially the pole vault, is that you can jump the same bar a hundred different ways and we are taking that approach. And I have the most amazing medical team in my corner so I feel very comfortable.”
Kennedy, 27, has only been beaten once this year – at the Doha event three months ago – and comes into Paris with significant victories against the women she will meet in the pole vault final on August 7.
“So to look them in the eye and beat them, sends a bit of a message that I’m not here to stuff around, girls,” she said.
“I’m here to fight and that fills me with confidence. I’m going to go out there and jump as high as I can and you’re going to have to jump high to beat me so good luck.”
Kennedy’s season’s best of 4.88m came at Monaco, just shy of the 4.90m she cleared in dramatic circumstances at last year’s world championships where she tied for the gold medal with American Katie Moon.
After 2½ hours of gruelling competition in stifling heat and experiencing debilitating cramps, Kennedy and Moon were given the chance to jump-off for gold or share the honour. Kennedy chose the latter.
It caused a lot of controversy, particularly for Moon in America where she was widely criticised, but now it’s become more of a running joke given every time Kennedy speaks, the same question is asked.
“I have been asked in every interview, honestly, would I do it again? What do you think mate?” she said.
“Honestly if that exact same situation arose I’m jumping off, I’m f**king rolling the dice. I’m leaving no stone unturned.” Kennedy’s previous Olympic experience was a nightmare, she came in injured and was caught up in a Covid scandal that saw her isolated in the lead-up to competition.
She bombed out in qualifying.
“I was 24, but in a weird way I was still like a baby, I was still kind of finding my feet,” Kennedy said.
“I knew I had jumped that national record earlier in the year, but I was actually looking at photos last night of those Olympics and I just look like a different person.
“I certainly feel like a different person – so much can happen in just a few years.
“Once you add a bit of maturity, a bit of experience ... a lot can happen, can’t it?”
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