
Nicola Olyslagers and Linden Hall produce winning form ahead of World Athletics Championships
Two-time Olympic silver medallist Olyslagers soared to a season-equalling 2.01m to beat Ukrainian Yaroslava Mahuchikh (1.99m)
'The competition was great,' Olyslagers said after beating Mahuchikh, who won gold in the event at last year's Paris Olympics.
'It was the first time I've skipped so many heights. I skipped 1.97 (metres) to go to 1.99, and it required me to be bold.
'I was a bit afraid in doing it but I had the faith to keep going. This victory has taught me a lot about myself and that the best is still to come.
'I got injured here last year and it took courage to come back and go 'no, this is a great competition', so to win was to win over my fears, so it was a really great day.'
Olyslagers' fellow Australian Eleanor Patterson bowed out at 1.95m to finish equal fourth.
Meanwhile, Victorian Hall ran an impressive final lap in the women's 3000m to beat Uganda's Sarah Chelangat in a personal best time of 8:30.01 and claim a Diamond League win for the first time.
'I ran a big 5km PB recently, so I was hoping that would translate into a good 3km,' Hall said.
'I didn't feel too good in the early stages of the race but luckily, I came good at the end.
'I did a lot of the work mostly by myself in the last kilometre, so it was really encouraging to get a five-second personal best.
'It's been a good season so far and a nice confidence booster.'
Other strong performances from Australians included a silver-medal effort from pole vaulter Kurtis Marschall, who cleared 5.90m to claim second behind Olympic champion Mondo Duplantis, who sett a new world record of 6.28m.
Bronze medals went to Ky Robinson, who produced a personal best of 12:58.38 in the 5000m, and his fellow Queenslander Matthew Denny, who placed third in the discus with a throw of 68.14m.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

News.com.au
7 hours ago
- News.com.au
Banner night for Australian women's basketball: Opals win Asia Cup gold
The Australian Opals have franked their stunning Olympic bronze with a slice of gold medal history in the first big tournament since their Paris triumph. Australia, for the first time since 2017 when it won silver on debut, has claimed the Asia Cup, emerging on top of Japan in a nailbiting final, 88-79. The elusive gold medal grants the Opals direct entry into next year's FIBA World Cup in Germany and completes the Asia Cup set, after a silver and three straight bronze medals at the tournament. Were it not for the grit and guts of fourth-quarter hero Ally Wilson, it might have all unravelled. Holding onto a handy, if not safe, eight-point lead at the beginning of the fourth quarter, the Opals were stunned by a Japanese salvo that tied the scores with seven minutes to play. Japan had led for just 46 seconds of the game but an 11-0 run threatened to rip it away from Australia. Wilson, who has become synonymous with Australia's Gangurrus program as a two-time 3X3 Asia Cup MVP and dual gold medallist, showed she is more than up to the task in the big show, exploding with 12 of the last 18 Opals' points to ensure they were never headed. And that might not even have been her biggest contribution. As the Opals were plundered by Japan's sharpshooting prodigy Kokoro Tanaka for 19 first-half points, coach Paul Goriss, searching for answers, turned to Wilson. And he made mincemeat of the teen, who did not make a field goal in the entire second half, adding just two free throws with a tick under three minutes to go in the game. It was a truly stunning effort from the 31-year-old. She missed the entire group stage with a knee complaint, only managing a very rusty 10 minutes in the semi against Korea a night earlier. Fresh off arguably her best ever WNBL season in Perth, Wilson needed no more motivation than a gold medal within her grasp to find peak fitness, her steal and bucket with 5.56 to go breaking the deadlock for good. FOWLER'S FIRST TOURNAMENT MVP BRILLIANCE Alex Fowler, in her first senior national team tournament, enhanced her reputation more than any other Opal, crowned the 2025 Asia Cup MVP . The ultra-consistent do-it-all forward rarely put a foot wrong throughout the tournament, averaging 11.8 points, 7.2 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.4 steals on efficient 60 per cent shooting. Fowler capped her tournament off with her finest performance in the final — an Opals team-high 15 points to go with 6 rebounds — all offensive — and 2 assists. Fowler, the former Canberra Capital now plying her trade under master mentor Shannon Seebohm in Townsville, does a little bit of everything — kind of like what Steph Talbot has done for the Opals for years at big tournaments. The 24-year-old has a massive future in the green and gold ahead of her. Dare I say it, with her length and obsessive attack on the glass, she's also a chance at WNBA honours. The Townsville product has come under the wing of celebrated Opals' veteran staple Cayla George. While George saved her best for the semi — a 20-point, 13-rebound masterclass against Korea — the tall timber made sure she got the Opals started in the first quarter, banging in back-to-back treys in the first two minutes of the game. She dished out five assists and stood tall in the last, finishing the game with five rebounds. REID ALL ABOUT IT It's not outlandish to say Steph Reid is arguably the best — and definitely the safest — pure point guard in Australia. And her efforts in China — perhaps more than any other Opal — ensured she joined Fowler in the Asia Cup All Star Five on her way to a history-making gold medal. That's as good an early birthday present as she could ever dream of ahead of her 29th, which she'll celebrate on Tuesday. Reid led the entire tournament in assists at 7.4 per game and turned it over just five times in five games, leading to a ludicrous assist-to-turnover ratio of 7.4. She added 11.2 points per game on equally incredible 54-62-100 shooting splits. The Victorian point guard produced a near flawless tournament, leading all players in assists At 168cm and not overly long, what Reid lacks in height she more than makes up for in fight and precision. Reid might be the nation's unluckiest point guard, too. This scribe once heard the great Robyn Maher lament Reid's non-selection in the Paris squad. Reid will be 31 when LA rolls around in 2028 and should be there to provide vital back-court poise and experience for young duo Jade Melbourne and Georgia Amoore.


Perth Now
8 hours ago
- Perth Now
Aussie Olympian drops bombshell engagement news
Olympic medallist Cate Campbell may have retired from the pool, but she isn't done winning after announcing her engagement on social media. The swimmer and long-time partner Adam Kerr have decided to take their relationship to the next step after a romantic proposal at the beach. The 33-year-old dropped the news on Instagram, posting photos of the huge diamond rock with the caption, 'A complete and wonderful surprise 💍💕.' Cate Campbell announces engagement on Instagram Credit: Cate Campbell / Instagram 'Last Saturday while watching the sun rise at our new local beach, Adam turned and said: 'Cate, I have a question for you.' 'I thought maybe he was going to ask what kind of plants to put in our gardens, what kind of dog we should get, or what we should make for dinner. 'Instead, he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. Of course, I said 'yes'…(and cried a lot).'Simply the perfect way to start the next chapter of our lives.' The couple have been together for some time now, with the current world record holder for the short course 100m freestyle saying that her notability had nothing to do with the relationship beginning. 'He didn't know who I was and he maintains he never Googled me – he wasn't star-struck!,' Campbell told the Sydney Morning Herald in 2023. Like most relationships, theirs experienced a bump in the road, with the couple splitting when Campbell moved away to further pursue in career in the pool which she referred to as her 'biggest heartbreak'. After reconciling when the eight-time Olympic medallist moved back to Brisbane the pair have gone the distance, with Kerr popping the question last week. Her announcement post has been flooded with comments from notable athletes sending love to the newly engaged couple. 'Congratulations!!! This is so beautiful, so happy for you both ❤️❤️,' fellow gold medallist Shayna Jack said. Campbell's gold medal teammate from the Rio Olympics Emma McKeon sent love saying, 'Congratulations ❤️❤️❤️'. Australian Olympic royalty Ariana Titmus commented that it was, 'The best news ❤️'. While the Australian Olympics Instagram page showed love with '💚💛💚💛'.


7NEWS
8 hours ago
- 7NEWS
Aussie Olympic hero announces ‘surprise' engagement
Four-time Olympic gold medallist Cate Campbell has announced her engagement to longtime partner Adam Kerr. The 33-year-old took to Instagram on Sunday night to break the news, describing the proposal as a 'complete and wonderful surprise'. 'Last Saturday while watching the sun rise at our new local beach, Adam turned and said: 'Cate, I have a question for you.' I thought maybe he was going to ask what kind of plants to put in our gardens, what kind of dog we should get, or what we should make for dinner. Instead, he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. Of course, I said 'yes'…(and cried a lot),' she wrote. 'Simply the perfect way to start the next chapter of our lives.' Fellow swimming champions Shayna Jack, Emma McKeon and Giaan Rooney were among those quick to pay tribute. Campbell told the Sydney Morning Herald in 2023 Kerr didn't know who she was when they met five years previously. The pair split when she moved to Sydney for her swimming career, but reconnected when she returned to Brisbane, the city her family settled in after moving from her native Malawi in 2001. 'He didn't know who I was and he maintains he never Googled me – he wasn't star struck, she said. 'We reconnected when I moved back to Brisbane and have been together ever since. He knows what sport means to me.' Campbell, who with sister Bronte in 2012 became the first Australian siblings on an Olympic team in four decades, represented Australia at four Games, winning gold at three. She was part of three consecutive 4x100m freestyle wins in London, Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo, and was also a member of Australia's gold medal-winning medley relay team at the delayed Games in Japan in 2021. A former 100m freestyle world record holder, Campbell still holds the short-course mark set at the Australian championships in 2017.