Aussie soars to high jump gold at world championships
A decade after winning a Commonwealth title as a shy teenager and four years after almost walking from track and field for good, the “new Eleanor” Patterson is the high jump world champion.
On a steamy hot day in Eugene, Patterson kept her cool when it mattered most, becoming the first Australian woman to win a world or Olympic high jump title.
The 26-year-old needed three attempts to get over 1.98m just to stay alive in what was a high-standard competition and another two at 2.00m.
Then came a brilliant first-up clearance at 2.02m that equalled the Australian record and which turned out to be the gold medal-winning jump.
Pattersonās great Ukrainian rival Yaroslava Mahuchikh needed two tries to get over that height, handing the Australian the gold medal on countback after 2.04m proved a bridge too far for both of them.
āI didnāt make it easy for myself,ā said Patterson, who became just the 10th Australian to win gold at a world athletics championships.
āThe calibre of women I was up against was phenomenal and they were clearing everything first time, they were doing amazing things.
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āThere 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.
āAnd somehow Iāve been able to bring that to fruition.ā
Coming into the competition, Pattersonās PB was 2.00m, set when she finished second behind Mahuchikh at the world indoors in Belgrade in March.
This time she was able to turn the tables.
āI knew I could clear that height (2.02m) and to do that on the first attempt was amazing,ā she said.
āIām overjoyed I could even clear that height.
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āI knew it was within me but to bring it out tonight under such pressure, Iām just so proud of myself.ā
After winning the 2014 Commonwealth title in Glasgow as a teenager, Patterson struggled to cope with the resultant pressure and attention.
She bombed out in tears at the Rio Olympics and then stepped away from the sport for a year after failing to get selected for the 2018 Commonwealth Games.
But a shift to Sydney in 2019 to work with new coach Alex Stewart proved to be a career changer.
āGlasgow does feel like a lifetime ago but Iām a different Eleanor in so many facets,ā she said.
āIn the last three years my life has changed so much,.ā
Italyās Elena Vallortigara claimed the bronze medal with 2m and Australiaās Tokyo Olympics silver medallist Nicola Olyslagers (1.96m) tied for fifth.
Meanwhile, Stewart McSweyn gave himself every chance by going out hard in the menās 1500m final.
But he was unable to go with the leaders in the final lap of a race which was won in a boilover by Britainās Jake Wightman in three minutes 29.23 seconds ā the fastest time in the world this year.
Norwayās Olympic champ Jakob Ingebrigtsen was second in 3:29.47 and McSweyn finished ninth in 3:33.24.
Australiaās Matthew Denny was sixth in a high-quality menās discus final, with his best effort of 66.47m coming in the final round,
But no-one could get near Sloveniaās Kristjan Ceh won claimed gold with a massive throw of 71.13m.
Calab Law (20.72) and Jacinta Beecher (23.14) were run out in the semis of the menās and womenās 200m, whileĀ Sarah Carli was untroubled in advancing to the 400m hurdles semi-finals by finishing third in her heat in 55.89.
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