The rain came down in Tokyo but nothing could wash away the shine from Nicola Olyslagers’ golden night during the final session at the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25.

Notebook in hand, arms raised to the sky, the Australian finally claimed the world outdoor crown that had eluded her – in the same city where she won her first Olympic medal four years ago, and where her journey at global level had begun with a ‘no height’ back in 2017.

It was an evening of theatre in the National Stadium. Olyslagers, the exuberant diarist of the high jump, and Yaroslava Mahuchikh, the immaculate Olympic champion, arrived as the protagonists of a rivalry that has defined the event in recent years. By the end, they had been joined on the podium by two new names, as Poland’s Maria Zodzik and Serbia’s Angelina Topic both made breakthrough medals in a final repeatedly interrupted by heavy rain.

The bar told the story. At 1.97m, the field was cut in half: five women fell away, four remained. Olyslagers, Mahuchikh, Topic and Zodzik all sailed clear at the first attempt, a sign that the medals would be decided in the unforgiving territory beyond two metres.

Olyslagers struck first at 2.00m, arms raised, a broad smile and a cry of “Come on,” clearing the bar in her opening attempt. Mahuchikh missed her first try at 2.00m but made the tactical call to concede her remaining attempts at that height and save them for 2.02m – a gamble that left her fate hanging on the next progression. Topic, by contrast, could not jump over 2.00m and fouled all three attempts, her evening frozen at 1.97m.

Then came the downpour. After five jumps at 2.00m, officials halted the contest for half an hour. When the athletes returned, Zodzik seized her chance, clearing 2.00m on her third attempt for a lifetime best, guaranteeing a medal.

The rain forced another delay but on resumption, Olyslagers came closest to 2.02m, brushing the bar with her heels.

“I've seen so many bars fall off just by that small amount, but when it stays on what else could you say but 'Thank you God',” she stated afterwards with a smile.

Zodzik attacked with determination but could not improve and Mahuchikh, betting everything on this height, missed her resting attempts. As the bar fell on her final jump, Topic’s father and coach Dragutin, ninth in Tokyo 1991, leapt behind the barriers in celebration, knowing his daughter’s 1.97m clearance was now enough for a shared bronze – her first senior medal at just 20 years old and Serbia’s first ever medal in the high jump at a global stage.

Zodzik’s personal best secured silver and Mahuchikh, the Olympic champion and world record-holder, had to settle for a shared bronze with Topic, a conclusion to a season of inconsistency.

And so, it was Olyslagers who completed the circle. She too failed at 2.02m, but her flawless competition up to her winning height paid off as she won on countback. With that, she became world champion at last, adding the title to two Olympic silvers, two world indoor golds and her Diamond League crown.

“This was just pure joy, even in the rain,” she said. “High jump is a bit of luck but tonight was so special. I think this season I have had many hard competitions but the whole year was really great.”

The 28-year-old, who tracks every jump in her training diary with ratings and reflections, has long spoken about authenticity, faith and joy as her fuel.

“I realised I had to stop holding onto my goals really tightly and be spontaneous, take risks, and really move by faith and not sight. I was hoping I had faith that it would work but even if it didn’t, I had so much fun this year.”

For Olyslagers, Tokyo is suffused with meaning. It was here she won her first Olympic medal in 2021; it was here that earlier chapters of her career were writ and rewritten. Now, four years on, she completes a circle in the same city that first marked her on the world stage.

Ainhoa Serrano for World Athletics
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