Nicola Olyslagers Wins GOLD in High Jump at World Athletics Championships as Rain Causes Chaos in Tokyo
- Nicola Olyslagers claims her first outdoor world title in the high jump at the 2025 Tokyo World Championships
- A torrential rain storm hits the National Stadium, causing delays and disruptions to the field events
- Australian athletes shine despite the challenging conditions, with Ky Robinson coming fourth in the men’s 5,000m
Nicola Olyslagers has made history, winning her first world championship gold medal in the high jump at the 2025 Tokyo World Championships. The Australian athlete cleared 2.00m to take the top spot, despite the event being marred by a torrential rain storm that caused delays and disruptions to the field events.
“When I came here in Tokyo [for the Olympics], I left with a silver medal and I was blown away,” Olyslagers said in an emotional interview. “And now [I’ve got] a gold. I was jumping tonight and I realised in 2017 I came dead last, I didn’t clear the starting height and I’ve seen year by year just a gradual progression up.”
Olyslagers’ victory was not without its challenges, however. The rain storm that hit the National Stadium caused the field events to be suspended twice, with athletes struggling to cope with the slippery conditions. In the discus event, Australian athlete Matt Denny slipped in the circle, while other athletes were seen using towels to dry the surface in a desperate bid to gain traction.
Despite the chaos, Australian athletes shone in the men’s 5,000m event, with Ky Robinson coming fourth. “I feel pretty happy. I mean, crossing the line in fourth,” Robinson said. “I’m over the moon with how I did and you know, a minute later you kind of have those initial thoughts coming in like, ‘hey, you’re one off the podium like, could you not have found something else?'”
Meanwhile, Jess Hull finished eighth in the women’s 800m final, despite setting a new personal best time of 1:57.30. “It’s really fun to be out there with the best 800 metre women in the world,” Hull said. “They just brought their A-game tonight.”
The Australian men’s 4x100m relay team, however, failed to impress, dropping the baton in the final and failing to finish the race.
Despite the setbacks, Australian athletes can hold their heads high after a successful World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.