'Mongrel' spirit drives pole vault queen Kennedy in world title defence
FILE PHOTO: Athletics - Diamond League - Rome - Stadio Olimpico, Rome, Italy - August 30, 2024 Australia's Nina Kennedy in action during the women's pole vault REUTERS/Ciro De Luca/File photo
MELBOURNE :Olympic pole vault champion Nina Kennedy will defend her world title in Tokyo without a single lead-up competition, coming in cold after a long injury layoff that has her torn between protecting her body and unleashing her competitive spirit.
Kennedy has not competed since becoming the first Australian woman to win Olympic gold in a field event in Paris last year, having undergone hamstring surgery after three strains in six weeks.
The rehabilitation wiped out her entire build-up to the September 13 to 21 world championships, forcing her to forgo all Diamond League meets and enter Tokyo on a wildcard.
"Only training for six weeks, we've pushed my body to the absolute limits just to get here," Kennedy told reporters.
"It creates niggles elsewhere — in the back, in the quad — so I can't say I have full confidence in my body. But I do have full confidence that the injury is okay."
The 28-year-old estimated she was at about 80 per cent fitness and held little hope of being at her peak at Tokyo after trying to squeeze four months' preparation into less than two.
If it were earlier in her career, she might have skipped the event, she conceded.
But reckoning she has only three years left at the highest level, Kennedy said she wanted to give Tokyo a "red, hot crack" and did not rule out nabbing a spot on the podium.
It has been an emotional tightrope for the reigning champion, who said she had worked closely with her sports psychologist to "adjust the goalposts" and focus more on process than outcome.
"There’s a mongrel in me, I've got this dog in me," Kennedy said.
"I have no right to think I can come off surgery and get back on the podium, but that's the challenge we've set. That's what excites me."
She said a first-attempt clearance above 4.80 metres might be enough for a medal in a post-Olympic year, but would not know her limits until competition day.
"I haven't stepped foot in an arena since Paris. I'm not sure where I'm at, but I'm embracing the vulnerability," she added.
Taking a longer view, Kennedy, whose personal best is 4.91m, hopes to become the fifth woman to clear the five-metre barrier and ultimately perhaps even challenge Yelena Isinbayeva's long-standing world record (5.06m).
"I see myself as the best athlete out there. Why not?" she said.
