Australian high jumper Nicola Olyslagers had a clear height for gold at the Tokyo World Championships. She won the gold medal in an electrifying race. The 29-year-old, world number one, Olympic Champion and crucially for this nature of competition, best Championship performer, proved why she was all that by doing all three heights on first attempts. She won in adverse weather conditions.
Olyslagers encountered rain delays over the course of the event but stayed focused and composed, one big factor in her ultimate victory. This performance became a career turning point for her. It brought her, and Australia, their only gold medal at this championship.
Olyslagers has long shown her strength on the world stage. She was the runner-up at both the Tokyo and Paris Olympics, and she recently earned third at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest. Her road to success was not without its bumps. The first time she stood on that big a stage—with a similar debut at the World Championships in London eight years ago—she didn’t clear a bar.
On this occasion, though, Olyslagers showed the kind of power that makes her special, cruising to a gold medal on countback over Poland’s Maria Zodzik. She had three very good close attempts at 2.02 meters. Importantly, this did not impact her placement as both Zodzik and fellow contender Yaroslava Mahuchikh didn’t clear that height.
In March of this year, Olyslagers captured her second World Indoors title. Last month in Zurich, she stamped herself as one of the world’s elite by clinching the Diamond League crown with a personal-best leap of 2.04 meters.
Perhaps most impressive was Olyslager’s resilience. She was one of just three jumpers left in contention at the time that the competition continued following the second rain delay. She’s famous for her deep preparation. In between jumps, she frequently jots down notes in her journal, allowing her to stay grounded and sharp-minded, a discipline that serves her well.
Olyslagers was happy with everything that she was able to accomplish.
“To come back with a very saturated notebook and a gold medal, it’s wonderful.” – Nicola Olyslagers
Olyslagers’ perspective on pressure has evolved significantly. She noted how previous setbacks have shaped her understanding of performance and self-worth:
“It wasn’t a holiday; it was more of a battleground.” – Nicola Olyslagers
Armed with this confidence and clarity, she went into the championship with nothing to lose.
“But when I came last, I remember standing out there and I had so much peace because I knew that my performance didn’t determine my identity and value.” – Nicola Olyslagers
Olyslagers encouraged a fearless mindset among athletes:
“So then coming in as world No.1, the pressure was off because I knew that if you can’t lose anything when you come last, you can’t gain anything when you come first.” – Nicola Olyslagers
As she concluded her thoughts on the competition, Olyslagers encouraged a fearless mindset among athletes:
“So let’s go out there and do it.” – Nicola Olyslagers
