Kennedy Looking Forward to Worlds Debut

WAIS athlete Nina Kennedy will be the youngest athlete to don the green and gold at the IAAF World Championships in Beijing, but don’t let age fool you.

The rising star of Australian pole vault has previously competed at youth and junior world championship level and has spent the past six weeks competing in Europe under the guidance of her renowned WAIS coach Alex Parnov in preparation for her senior debut.

The 18-year-old Australian Flame debutant earned her berth after setting a new personal best of 4.59m at the Perth Track Classic earlier this year, in a performance that at the time, was a junior outdoors world record.

Kennedy admitted this opportunity had been keenly marked in the diary and she is relishing the chance to compete against the world’s best.

“I am so, so excited. I’ve been looking forward to this for quite some time now, I set the goal (of being on this team) a long time ago and the event is almost here. It’s a week away, it’s amazing,” she said.

“I never dreamt of the year that I have had. To jump 4.50m was awesome, but to get to 4.59m was totally unexpected. I was totally in the moment in that competition and I look back thinking wow, what an amazing night. I’ll always treasure that” Kennedy said.

At an age that still pits her eligible for junior world championships, Kennedy is looking at the competition as an opportunity to improve rather than specific goals.

“I went to youth, then world juniors and now I’m on the senior team. I’ve learnt so much already and can only learn more here. This is the start of something for me and I can’t wait to take it all in and improve even more.”

Kennedy will be joined in the Australian Flame team by WAIS athletes Kim Mickle and Lyndsay Pekin.

Javelin thrower Mickle is a reigning world championship medallist, having won silver in Moscow in 2013, whilst Pekin will compete at senior World Championship level for the first time, as a member of the Australian women’s 4x400m relay.

-AthleticsAus