World title tilt for Kennedy as World Champion Barber enters the Budapest Arena

Global medallist Nina Kennedy is poised to turn the temperature up a notch at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary where the pole vault star will lead no less than five Australian record holders in their quest for gold on Day 5 of competition. 

One year ago, Kennedy (WA, Paul Burgess) adorned herself with a glistening bronze medal, yet the fiery heart within her yearns for the ultimate prize as she gets set to soar in tonight’s Women’s Pole Vault Final.

Cruising her way into the final with a clean sheet through to automatic qualification at 4.65m on Day 3, the real competition begins now for the Australian record holder as she fights for a chance to climb to the summit of victory.  

With the memory of last year’s bronze finish spurring her on, Kennedy says there is nothing stopping her reaching the top, comfortable in her capability.

“I went to worlds last year hoping to do my best but coming into these championships, I want to win. It’s no secret that I want to be on that podium and at the top and there’s no reason why that gold can’t be mine,” Kennedy said.

Despite an interrupted start to her 2023 campaign, the Australian record holder at 4.82m presents in as good a shape as ever to add her maiden world title to her growing list of accolades. 

First, she’ll topple the USA’s reigning Olympic and world champion Katie Moon who owns a 4.95m personal best, while Slovenia’s Tina Sutej (4.82m) and Finland’s Wilma Murto (4.85m) see the Australian as a great threat.

“They talk to me differently and I talk to them differently and we are playing some mind games, so that is a part of the sport I quite like. I don’t think they see me as taking the gold but they definitely see me as a threat. We all know that whoever wins will be the person who pieces it together perfectly.”

Kick-starting his third world championships campaign will be Kurtis Marschall (WA, Paul Burgess) as he takes on the Men’s Pole Vault Qualification; an event that looms as a mere formality for the in-form Australian who has piled on the centimetres to his personal best this year, which now stands at 5.95m.

Australia’s sprint hurdlers will occupy two lanes in today’s Women’s 100m Hurdles Semi-Finals, but both Michelle Jenneke (NSW, Gary Bourne) and Celeste Mucci (VIC, Darren Clark) are acutely aware that 24 does not go into eight ahead of the final.

Australia’s second fastest hurdler in history behind only Sally Pearson, Jenneke is no stranger to the big stage, having nailed an Olympic qualifier of 12.71 (+0.4) in yesterday’s heats. The 30-year-old will race in Semi-Final 3 and go head-to-head with Olympic champion Jasmine Camacho-Quinn (PUR), while Mucci takes on a star-studded Semi-Final 2 which includes reigning world champion and world record holder Tobi Amusan (NGR).

Australia will field a three-pronged attack in the Women’s Javelin Qualification, spearheaded by back-to-back world champion Kelsey-Lee Barber (QLD, Mike Barber) who opens her bid for a historic three-peat. Joined by Mackenzie Little (NSW, Angus McEntyre) and Australian record holder Kathryn Mitchell (VIC, Uwe Hohn), the trio will look to emulate their Tokyo Olympic Games heroics when all finishing inside the top eight of the final.

Little’s 65.70m career-best from June’s Lausanne Diamond League remains the third longest throw in the world this year, with the Australian sitting pretty as world rank number two, and big-time performer Barber ranked world number four. Lining up for her fifth World Championships, Mitchell will be out to qualify for yet another global final at 41-years-old.

Rising star Stephanie Ratcliffe (VIC, Matthew Horneman) takes to the Women’s Hammer Throw Qualification fresh off an Australian record of 73.63m. Ranked 11th in the field on season’s best, the Harvard University student will need to bring her best at her international debut – with 12 spots up for grabs in Day 6’s final.

The Men’s Long Jump Qualification will see another trio of Australians launch their bid for a berth in the final, with Chris Mitrevski (VIC, John Boas), Liam Adcock (QLD, Gary Bourne) and Henry Frayne (QLD, Gary Bourne) taking to the runway. Australian champion Adcock has been in-form in 2023, but all three men possess personal bests well over the eight-metre marker.

A buffet of first-round appearances ranging from 200m through to 5000m will be on offer on Day 5, led by Oceania record holder Catriona Bisset (VIC, Ned Brophy-Williams) over 800m, while Australian Under 20 200m record holder Aidan Murphy (SA, Dylan Hicks) lines up for World Championships number two. 

Complemented by Abbey Caldwell (VIC, Gavin Burren) and Ellie Sanford (VIC, Terri Cater), the trio led by Bisset will be eager to build on the nation’s middle-distance resurgence and book their ticket to the semi-finals.

It’s a quick turnaround for Hull after finishing seventh in last night’s Women’s 1500m Final, but the versatile middle-distance sensation will be confident in advancing to the Women’s 5000m Final with a 14:43.80 personal best to her name – another of her six national records. Lauren Ryan (VIC, Lara Rogers) will toe the line for her second senior team, having made her debut at the 2022 World Indoor Championships, while Olympian Rose Davies (NSW, Scott Westcott) rounds out the Australian contingent in the race around 12 and a half laps.

Rounding out the action on the track, the steeplechase contingent of Amy Cashin (VIC, Paul Cleary), Cara Feain-Ryan (QLD, Ben Norton) and Brielle Erbacher (QLD, Jody Erbacher) will take on the tough task of the cut-throat Women’s 3000m Steeplechase Heats.

Cashin is the owner of the fastest personal best of the three with her 9:21.46 performance at the 2022 World Championships landing her fourth on the Australian all-time list. Feain-Ryan approaches in scorching form after roaring to the 2023 World University Games title earlier this month, while Erbacher also makes back-to-back World Championships appearances.

Ella Connolly (NSW) was due to compete in the Women’s 200m but has withdrawn due to injury.

Tune in to the Australian action at the 2023 World Athletics Championships from 6.00pm AEST on SBS or beIN Sport.

By Sascha Ryner and Lachlan Moorhouse, Athletics Australia
Posted: 23/8/2023