Equal fifth on the all-time list. The world’s best jump in five years. And now, a very public tilt at five metres.
Nina Kennedy’s comeback season reached new heights in Monaco, the Olympic and former world champion clearing 4.95m to win the Diamond League. It was all of an Oceania Area Record, Australian Record and personal best (improving her 4.91m from 2023) in one breathtaking vault.
The clearance elevates Kennedy to fifth on the all-time list and stands as the highest jump by any female pole vaulter in five years. Only the sport’s true stratosphere sits above her now. And she’s made it clear she intends to get there.
| Rank | Mark | Competitor | Venue | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5.06 | Yelena ISINBAYEVA | Zürich | 2009 |
| 2 | 5.03 | Jennifer SUHR | Brockport | 2016 |
| 3 | 5.01 | Anzhelika SIDOROVA | Zürich | 2021 |
| 4 | 5.00 | Sandi MORRIS | Bruxelles | 2016 |
| =5 | 4.95 | Katie NAGEOTTE | Eugene | 2021 |
| =5 | 4.95 | Nina KENNEDY | Monaco | 2026 |
| 7 | 4.94 | Eliza MCCARTNEY | Jockgrim | 2018 |
| 8 | 4.92 | Molly CAUDERY | Toulouse | 2024 |
| =9 | 4.91 | Yarisley SILVA | Beckum | 2015 |
| =9 | 4.91 | Aikaterini STEFANIDI | London | 2017 |
| =9 | 4.91 | Amanda MOLL | Indianapolis | 2025 |
| =9 | 4.91 | Polina KNOROZ | Cheboksary | 2026 |
“I genuinely believe that I can jump 5m, and I know if everything aligns I can do it.”
Nina Kennedy
“I still have a lot of competitions for the rest of the season, that’s my goal. Project 5m is here.”
Kennedy attempted the barrier in Monaco after sealing the win, falling just short at the end of one of the most impressive vaulting series in history.
“I know that I am in really good shape and pole vault is so technical, and I just had to put everything all together,” she said. “Monaco is the place to do it, I always jump well here. It’s a good runway, an amazing crowd and I am just really happy with how I jumped.”
The long road back
The performance is all the more remarkable given where Kennedy was 12 months ago: sidelined for a year with a hamstring injury, the latest chapter in a career that has demanded extraordinary resilience.
“I would say through those seven years of struggles, I just showed up,” she said. “That taught me a lot of resilience. I’ve learnt that lesson, and I’m going to take that through my career, but also through my life, my friendships and beyond that.
“That’s what is so special about sport, you learn these lessons that are damn hard, and not many other things teach you that. I’ve had a lot of fun, always a smile on my face and I guess the belief is always there to never give up.”
With the Glasgow Commonwealth Games looming, Kennedy could hardly have timed her red-hot form better.
