Nina Kennedy

Kennedy finished second in the senior Australian pole vault championships in 2012 at the age of 14 with a personal best of 4.10m. A year later, she finished fifth at the IAAF World Youth (U18) Championships and established a new personal best of 4.31m. She jumped a personal best of 4.40m at the 2014 IAAF World Juniors, coming in fourth place and narrowly missing out on a medal. Kennedy broke the junior world record in February 2015 in Perth by clearing 4.43m, 4.50m, and then 4.59m.

She qualified for the 2015 World Championships in Beijing after shattering the junior world record, although she was unable to clear the first height during the qualification round. In 2018, Kennedy improved her personal best to 4.60m, and a week later, with a vault of 4.71m, she climbed to third place all-time in Australia. She upset Olympic bronze medalist Eliza McCartney of New Zealand by jumping a 4.60m during the national championships. Kennedy earned bronze at the Commonwealth Games in 2018 on the Gold Coast. She then passed her second-best height of 4.61m in early 2020 and was consistent with eight straight events at 4.70m or above.

Kennedy competed in the Olympic jump competition in Tokyo in 2020 although still suffering from an injury, clearing 4.40 meters and finishing 22nd overall. She improved the Australian record at the Sydney Track Classic in 2021, extending it to 4.82m. Kennedy earned bronze at the 2022 World Athletics Championships with a clearance of 4.80m. Kennedy’s clearance was the highest by an Australian at a World Athletics Championships, surpassing Alana Boyd’s mark of 4.60m at the 2015 World Athletics Championships in Beijing. Kennedy claimed the gold medal at the Commonwealth Games in 2022 with a jump of 4.60m the following month.

Her coach is Paul Burgess. Paul is a retired pole vaulter from Australia who became only the thirteenth pole vaulter in the world to reach the six-meter mark. He won two silver medals at the Commonwealth Games in pole vault in 1998 Kuala Lumpur and 2002 Manchester Games. For his achievements, he was honored with the Western Australian Sports Star of the Year award in January 2006.

Nina was born on 5 April, 1997, in Busselton, Western Australia. She has two brothers and a sister. She finished primary school in Perth. At the age of 11, joined her first club, Perry Lakes Little Athletics, since she enjoyed athletics day at primary school. She began pole vaulting when she was 12 years old, after a pole vault coach spotted her talent at an athletics competition.