Eleanor Patterson has claimed the gold medal in the women’s high jump at the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon.
The 26-year-old becomes just the tenth Australian to achieve an athletics world title, joining the likes of Cathy Freeman, Dani Samuels and Sally Pearson.
Patterson soared 2.02metres to win on countback ahead of Ukraine’s Yaroslava Mahuchikh (2.02m) and Italy’s Elena Vallortigara (2.00m).
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The feat equals the national and Oceania records set by compatriot Nicola Olyslagers (nee McDermott) at the 2020 Olympics staged in Tokyo last year, making Patterson just the second Australian woman to clear the two-metre barrier.
Olyslagers finished fifth in the event with a season’s best jump of 1.96 metres.
With three-time world champion and reigning Olympic title-holder Mariya Lasitskene blocked from the competition because of World Athletics’ ban on Russian and Belarusian athletes, the spotlight ahead of the event soon turned to Mahuchikh to take home the gold medal. But things did not go her way on Wednesday (AEST).
Patterson momentarily stumbled at 1.98 metres and 2.00 metres before clearing 2.02 metres on her first attempt to take the lead in the final. As Mahuchihk failed to better 2.04m, she handed the Leongatha local the gold.
After making the Olympic final last year, Patterson finished second at the World Athletics Indoor Championships earlier in the year with a jump of 2.00 metres.
The standings set up an exciting segue into next week’s Commonwealth Games for Patterson, who will grace the high jump event in Birmingham.
Patterson was the Commonwealth champion in 2014, winning as an 18-year-old, but did not take up the opportunity to defend her title in 2018 after briefly retiring from the sport.
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