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Nina Kennedy
Personal information
Nationality	Australian
Born	5 April 1997 (age 27); Busselton, Western Australia
Education	University of Notre Dame Australia
Height	1.65 m (5 ft 5 in)
Weight	60 kg (132 lb)
Sport
Country	Australia
Sport	Athletics
Event	Pole vault
Achievements and titles
Personal bests	Outdoor: 4.91 m (2023 NR); Indoor: 4.60 m (2018);
Medal record
Women's athletics
Representing Australia
Olympic Games
World Championships
Diamond League
Commonwealth Games

Nina Kennedy (born 5 April 1997)^[2] is an Australian athlete who holds the national record in the pole vault.^[3] She won the gold medal at the 2024 Summer Olympics, 2023 World Athletics Championships (shared with American Katie Moon) and at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

Early years

Kennedy was born in Busselton, 225 kilometres (140 mi) south of Perth. Her family moved to Perth and she completed primary school there. She attended secondary school at PLC Perth.^[4] When she was 11 years old she joined her first club, Perry Lakes Little Athletics. Kennedy started pole vaulting one year later after a pole vault coach identified her talent at an athletics meet. In 2012, aged 14, Kennedy placed second in the senior Australian pole vault championships with a personal best of 4.10m. A year later she set a best of 4.31m and placed fifth at the IAAF World Youth (U18) Championships. At the 2014 IAAF World Juniors, she vaulted a personal best of 4.40m, just missing a medal to finish fourth.^[5]

Senior career

In February 2015 in Perth, Kennedy cleared 4.43m, then 4.50m and finally 4.59m – a world junior record. This qualified her for the 2015 World Championships in Beijing but she failed to clear the opening height in the qualification round.

In 2018, Kennedy raised her personal best to 4.60m and a week later moved to number three Australian all-time with a vault of 4.71m. At the National Championships she vaulted a 4.60m and defeated New Zealand's Olympic bronze medallist Eliza McCartney.^[5]

At the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games Kennedy won bronze. In early 2020, Kennedy cleared her second-best ever height of 4.61m and was consistent with eight consecutive competitions at 4.70m or higher.

At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics Kennedy jumped while injured, with a 4.40m clearance that placed 12th in her qualifier.^[6]

Kennedy raised the Australian record to 4.82m at the 2021 Sydney Track Classic.^[7]

At the 2022 World Athletics Championships, Kennedy won bronze with a clearance of 4.80m. This clearance saw Kennedy achieve the highest jump by an Australian at a World Athletics Championships, surpassing Alana Boyd's mark of 4.60m achieved at the 2015 World Athletics Championships held in Beijing. The next month, at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, Kennedy won gold with a clearance of 4.60m.^[8]

At the 2023 World Athletics Championships, Kennedy won gold with a clearance of 4.90m, which she shared with the American athlete Katie Moon.^[9]

Competition record

Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Notes
Representing Australia
2013	World Youth Championships	Donetsk, Ukraine	5th	4.05 m
2014	World Junior Championships	Eugene, Oregon, US	4th	4.40 m
2015	World Championships	Beijing, China	–	NM
2016	World U20 Championships	Bydgoszcz, Poland	–	NM
2018	World Indoor Championships	Birmingham, United Kingdom	8th	4.60 m
2018	Commonwealth Games	Gold Coast, Australia	3rd	4.60 m
2021	Olympic Games	Tokyo, Japan	22nd (q)	4.40 m
2022	World Championships	Eugene, Oregon, US	3rd	4.80 m
2022	Commonwealth Games	Birmingham, United Kingdom	1st	4.60 m
2023	World Championships	Budapest, Hungary	1st=	4.90 m
2024	Olympic Games	Paris, France	1st	4.90 m