As Perth pole vaulter Nina Kennedy fell back to earth after clearing a new personal best of 4.71m last weekend, she let out a shriek of delight that could have echoed clear across the continent to the Gold Coast, where the Commonwealth Games trials start today.
She broke the world junior record in 2015, and qualified for her first Australian senior team, but Kennedy had been unable to reach that height (4.59m) for two years, marking time as she struggled with injury and personal issues.
She recalls being “overwhelmed’’ as she made her world championships debut in Beijing.