Nicola takes gold at world championships

Nicola Olyslagers has won her first-ever world championship gold medal in Tokyo after years of chasing the top prize.

The 27-year-old Coastie, already a two-time Olympic silver medallist and bronze medallist at the last World Athletics Championships, cleared 2.00m in a dramatic final that will be remembered as much for the weather as for the performances.

Torrential rain lashed the Olympic Stadium, forcing the high jump final to be paused twice as athletes and officials sought cover.

The interruptions stretched the event late into the night, but Olyslagers held her composure through the delays and delivered when it mattered most.

She  was the only athlete to clear 2.00m, securing victory on countback after three misses at 2.02m.

For Olyslagers, the moment represented the fulfilment of a dream and the reward for two decades of hard work.

“This year has been unforgettable,” she said.

“A finale in the pouring rain was wonderful, too.

“You know, this year I decided that after the World Olympics, I always ended the season feeling a bit tired, and so what I wanted to do this year was to finish full of passion, full of love in my heart, not only for the sport, but for why I started the sport.

“And so, when I was in the pouring rain, waiting for hours between jumps, I still had that light inside of my heart, and I felt like Jesus has transformed my heart since last year, and he’s been renovating my body.

“I’ve got speed that I’ve never trained for, and now it’s finally come through after 20 years of training.

“I started seeing my body transform year after year … and this gold medal, that’s just the cherry on top.”

Olyslagers, a devout Christian who runs her own ministry, has always been vocal about her faith.

As she launched into her approach in Tokyo, she raised her arms to the crowd, calling for applause and prayer.

That energy, combined with her composure through difficult conditions, set her apart from the rest of the field.

The victory marked a remarkable turnaround from her earliest days on the world stage.

“In 2017 (at the London world championships) I came dead last,” she said.

“I didn’t clear the starting height and I’ve seen year by year, just a gradual progression up.

“But when I came last I remember standing out there and I had so much peace because I knew that my performance didn’t determine my identity and my value.”

The gold medal was also a proud moment for Olyslagers’ coach, Matt Horsnell, who, like his athlete, hails from the Central Coast.

Horsnell has guided her through the highs and lows of international competition, helping shape her into one of the most consistent and respected high jumpers in the world.

It wasn’t quite the night fellow Australian Eleanor Patterson had hoped for.

The 2022 world champion bowed out after three attempts at 1.97m, finishing in fifth place.

But for Olyslagers, the Tokyo final was the night she had been waiting for; a career-defining performance that confirmed her status among the very best in the sport.

From Olympic silver to world bronze, and now finally world gold, the Central Coast athlete has etched her name into Australian athletics history.

Skaie Hull