Nina Kennedy’s rise to Olympic gold is nothing short of the stuff of dreams. Imagine being 11, trying out different sports, only to receive an invitation letter to try out pole vaulting, something that had never even crossed her mind. Fast forward to today, and Nina is an Olympic gold medalist in the sport.
Kennedy beat the reigning champion, Katie Moon, with an incredible 4.90-meter jump in Paris 2024. It’s not often you see a fluke discovery lead someone to the top of the podium. Maybe she was always destined to win, but she needed that nudge to find herself in the position to seize the opportunity. But we must not discredit the fact that Nina never gave up, no matter the setbacks, and that’s why she’s a champion today.
Declan Mountford: The Supportive Boyfriend Behind Nina Kennedy’s Olympic Success
Nina Kennedy, born on April 5, 1997, in Busselton, Australia, moved to Perth with her family and joined an athletics club at the age of 11. Her parents are Steven and Gwendy Kennedy. She started pole vaulting a year after joining the athletics club and later studied at the University of Notre Dame Australia. In 2015, Kennedy set a world junior record by clearing 4.59 meters.
Nina is not unfamiliar with gold medals. Before her success in Paris, she had won gold at the 2022 Commonwealth Games and the 2023 World Athletics Championships. She also competed in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, but it did not go to plan.
Moving on to her romantic life. Nina Kennedy is currently in a long-term relationship with her boyfriend, Declan Mountford, a professional Australian rules footballer and the Claremont WAFL captain. The couple has been together for a significant period, with Mountford never shying away from supporting her career.
In August 2023, Nina was diagnosed with a stress fracture in her back, and her physiotherapist recommended she stay still for a few weeks to properly heal the injury. During her recovery, she stayed at the family farm of her boyfriend.
Declan has been a supportive presence in Nina’s life throughout her recovery and her athletic career as a whole. He was present at the Stade de France, cheering on his partner as she won her first gold medal at the Olympics.
Paris 2024: Nina Kennedy’s Stunning Victory Over Katie Moon and Her Olympic Redemption
Nina Kennedy, an Australian pole vaulter, won gold at the Paris 2024 Olympics, defeating the defending champion, Katie Moon by 0.05 meters. Nina’s winning jump of 4.90 meters was enough to beat the American.
The 27-year-old made history in the process, becoming the first Australian woman to win an Olympic gold in pole vault. The last time any Australian tasted victory at a pole vault event on the Olympics stage was 16 years ago when Steve Hooker won gold at Beijing 2008. She is only the second pole vault champion ever from Down Under.
https://twitter.com/WorldAthletics/status/1821270878853984388The Busselton native previously shared a gold medal with Katie Moon at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest. Nina tied for gold with Katie with a clearance of 4.90m in the thrilling final.
Kennedy’s remarkable success in the Paris Olympics serves as a redemption arc after her disappointment in the previous Olympics in Tokyo. Her entire experience in 2021 was nothing short of a disaster. Just two weeks before the event, she tore her quad, and soon after, she was forced to leave the athletes’ village due to exposure to a Covid-positive athlete. The qualifying round was held in relentless rain, where she only managed to clear one height (4.25m) and failed to advance.
The victory has never tasted sweeter for Nina Kennedy. However, she did not exactly dream of being a champion in this sport early on in her life. She stumbled into pole vaulting by accident after being spotted at a local athletics event. At 11, she got picked out of 30 kids to give pole vaulting a shot and ended up being one of only three who made the cut. Before pole vaulting, Kennedy had dabbed into sprinting, jumping, and hurdling, all of which contributed to her skills as a pole vaulter.
