ATHLETICS: Nicola McDermott has delivered silver in style at Tokyo 2020, soaring to a national record of 2.02 metres to finish on the podium in the women's high jump final at her first Olympic Games.
The 24-year-old from the central coast in New South Wales produced a sensational series. Entering the competition at the second mark of 1.89m, McDermott made light work of that height and 1.93m before a second attempt clearance at 1.96m. She cruised through 1.98m and 2.00m, also, before clearing the Australian record mark of 2.02m. She also went so close to clearing the winning height of 2.04m on her final attempt
“I gave myself a ten out of ten for that 2.04m jump, the execution, the clearance in the air, but the lack of experience on timing meant that it just didn’t happen today. To come second to a three-time world champion, I can’t complain. I’m just so, so thankful,” McDermott said.
“We came in with the same mindset, jump a personal best today. We knew that if I did it I’d be among the medals and it kept me grounded. It wasn’t about chasing gold it was about sticking to the plan.”
McDermott sits and writes in her diary after every attempt, whether a clearance or miss, to analyse her jumps.

“I was so caught up in analysing what I had to do, I wasn’t tracking the competition to be honest. I was really excited when she (Mariya Lasitskene, ROC) cleared the 2.04m because it meant that it gave me an extra push toward another personal best at 2.02m.
“The analysing of jumps is about grounding me, capturing the feeling of what I was doing. It’s a great tool for me to learn how to jump higher. I know I’ve got higher heights and if I’m strategic in the way that I write, I’ll have that on paper to get the 2.04m or 2.05m the next time.”
McDermott's performance matches the silver medal won by Michele Brown at the Olympic Games in 1964, also held here in Tokyo, with her medal winning clearance an eight-centimetre improvement on the previous best Olympic height by fellow Australian Vanessa Ward at 1.94m.

McDermott was joined in the women’s high jump final by Eleanor Patterson, with the 2014 Commonwealth champion competing at her second Games.
A training partner of Brandon Starc, Patterson delivered first attempt clearances at 1.84m, 1.89m, 1.93m and 1.96m before faltering at 1.98m to finish fifth.
“I’m quite disappointed in myself. It’s an equal season best, it’s the same height I’ve jumped the last four competitions, and I got to see the top-three girls come to the day and produce,” Patterson said.
“I was hoping for a medal, but the intention was to jump 2.00m. I knew that 2.00m would likely get you a medal, it did today. I wanted to produce my best performance. It’s such a fleeting moment after such a build-up.
“I believe I can jump as high and be amongst it. I’ll work harder from here.
“I stayed out to watch Nicola. She’s Australian, we know each other quite well, I support her and have great respect. It was phenomenal to see, I’m so happy for her.”
Patterson also improves on the previous best mark by an Australian at the Olympic Games and matches the fifth-place performance of Doris Carter at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin.
McDermott’s silver medal brings the Australian athletics tally to three, joining bronze medallists Ash Moloney (decathlon) and Kelsey-Lee Barber (javelin) as part of the green and gold charge here at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

McSweyn and Hoare gallant in super quick 1500m final
The final individual event on the track at Tokyo 2020, the men’s 1500m lived up to its position as the crescendo with Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigsten winning gold in an Olympic record time of 3:28.32.
He was joined on the track by Australian record holder Stewart McSweyn and Ollie Hoare, both on Olympic debut. McSweyn, the ‘king of King Island’, was among the leaders for the first three laps before a mad dash to the finish line saw him cross seventh in a time of 3:31.91.
The time would have won a medal at every Olympics Games before Tokyo 2020, but the stacked field at the stadium on Saturday night delivered an impressive show.
“I went in with big goals. To finish seventh probably doesn’t achieve what I was after, but to run 3:31 in an Olympic final is something I can’t be too disappointed about,” McSweyn said.
“I put myself in the right spot, the legs just weren’t there but the effort was. I just have to keep trying to get better.
“We’ve seen four guys break 3:30 already this season so we knew tonight was going to be quick. Most of the guys run up to the 5000m too. I felt controlled through three laps, holding on to the back of them, in the hunt for the bronze, but the legs ran out of steam.
“I think I can take confidence that I’m in the mix. I’ve handled three rounds. My training was at a different level coming in and I thought everything indicated I was top three. It’s a little bit humbling.
“There are three years until the next Olympics and I just need to keep working.”

Hoare had an outstanding season to get selected for the Tokyo team and confirmed his ability to make the 1500m final, with the 24-year-old crossing the line 11th in a time of 3:35.79.
Progressing to the medal after automatic advances through the heat and semi-final, Hoare was thrilled to represent his country for the first time and will learn plenty from the experience of Tokyo 2020 and focus on improving his ability to switch off between the rounds.
“This is definitely something I can learn from. To have the opportunity to represent my country at this level, in this sport, is a privilege. I think for me it’s not the race, it’s the lead up. The emotional and mental build up was something that I’m not used to, and I need to work on that,” Hoare said.
“The more international fields I can muster up the better I’ll be for it. This is my first time representing the nation at any level, so it’s an important thing to take in and learn from. I’m looking forward to improving on this performance.
“I tried to get out hard and get to the front, get away from the traffic, but I couldn’t relax. It wasn’t one of my best races but there’s plenty to look forward to. I’ve got a race at the Pre Classic and hopefully two more Diamond League runs. I’m looking forward to that.”
Competition concludes with the men’s marathon in Sapporo at 7:00am AEST, Sunday 8 August.
An Australian trio of Liam Adams, Jack Rayner and Brett Robinson will take to the three-lap loop course looking to emulate the impressive 10th place of Sinead Diver and all three Australian women finishing top-30 in their race on Saturday morning.
Cody Lynch