Nicola Olyslagers’ One-jump Gamble Pays Off In Rain-sodden Diamond League Win

On a nighttime fresh for ducks successful Lausanne, Nicola Olyslagers defied nan teeming rainfall to swan complete nan barroom pinch conscionable 1 bound and triumph her 3rd Diamond League precocious jump successful a row.

The incessant downpour made it a reasonably miserable nighttime for athletes successful Lausanne connected Wednesday (Thursday AEST), but that couldn’t support nan grin from two-time Olympic metallic medallist’s look arsenic she pulled disconnected a successful bet to stock a three-way victory.

Deciding to beryllium nan past jumper to participate nan title astatine 1.91m, Olyslagers feared nan worst nan much nan way sewage deluged.

“This is simply a very bedewed competition, truthful I decided to beryllium bold and commencement high, for illustration I usually do erstwhile it’s bully conditions, and erstwhile nan rainfall started pouring down, past I was thinking, ‘have I made nan correct decision?’” she said afterwards. “But successful nan end, it worked, because nan 1 jump was nan winning jump.”

Nicola Olyslagers clears 1.91m successful Lausanne. Photograph: Laurent Gilliéron/EPA

Indeed, that proved her only clearance of nan nighttime arsenic she went connected to stock first-place pinch Germany’s Christina Honsel – who had 3 successful jumps – and Poland’s Maria Zodzik, who had four. They each grounded astatine 1.94m.

Olyslagers’ perennial home rival Eleanor Patterson besides cleared 1.91m but a first-time nonaccomplishment astatine that tallness meant nan different 3 shared nan spoils.

Ukraine’s Olympic champion Yaroslava Mahuchikh had decided to discontinue nan title aft 2 missed attempts astatine 1.86m and 1.91m, emotion it wasn’t worthy nan consequence pinch a bedewed run-up.

The 28-year-old Olyslagers is successful good shape starring into nan world championships, her awesome target of nan year, but occurrence successful nan season-long Diamond League, nan finals of which return spot successful Zurich adjacent week, is different incentive.

While Britain’s Olympic champion Keely Hodgkinson continued her comeback to racing pinch a gathering 800m grounds of 1 infinitesimal 55.69 seconds, Australia’s caller nationalist grounds holder Claudia Hollingsworth had to settee for seventh successful 1:58.81.

Liam Adcock (7.50m) was eighth successful nan agelong jump won by Uzbekistan’s Anvar Anvarov (7.84), while Jack Rayner splashed location successful 16th successful nan 5000m successful 13:31.22.

In a non-Diamond League event, Australian speedster Torrie Lewis won nan 100m A last successful 11.31sec.