Eleanor Patterson turns the tables on Nicola Olyslagers in Diamond League high jump | Athletics

Australian high jumpers Eleanor Patterson and Nicola Olyslagers finished on the podium after their Olympic winner Yaroslava Mahuchikh again proved too strong in their repechage in Lausanne.

Three weeks after taking silver and bronze to the pair at the Paris Games – the first time Australia has had two medallists in the same event – ​​world record holder Mahuchikh cleared 1.99 metres at the Diamond League meeting in Switzerland on Thursday to underline her dominance.

Unlike the battle at Stade de France, this time it was Patterson, the 2022 world champion and joint bronze medallist in Paris, who took silver with her jump of 1.96m. Olyslagers, the silver medallist at Paris 2024, had to settle for bronze with a fastest time of 1.92m, which saw her snatch third place from Germany’s Christina Honsel on countback.

Patterson was thrilled to deliver her best performance of the season, with her family watching.

“I did this three years ago, but I was exhausted and didn’t perform well,” said the 28-year-old. “This time I felt energetic and in one piece, and I put in my best performance of the season.

“The atmosphere here is amazing, and the fact that my parents were in the audience made it even more special.”

Even though Olyslagers did not perform at Olympic level, when she and Mahuchikh both cleared two metres in Paris, the 27-year-old was always positive and was convinced that she too had enjoyed every minute of her comeback.

“After the Olympics it’s easy to carry motivation, but I’m so grateful to be here, surrounded by so much love and positive energy,” said the world indoor champion. “The altitude tonight wasn’t what I wanted, but it’s more important to show up and inspire others. Lausanne is one of my favorite places and I’m excited for what’s to come.”

Kurtis Marschall also finished on the podium, in a tie for third place, in the men’s pole vault after clearing 5.82m. The 27-year-old Australian had finished sixth at Paris 2024 with a jump of 5.85m. Marschall was unsuccessful in what would have been a season record of 5.92m, as Sweden’s reigning Olympic champion Armand Duplantis continued his sensational winning streak with a new meet record of 6.15m.

The men’s 1500 metres was the highlight of the evening’s Olympic repechage, with Jakob Ingebrigtsen taking late but convincing revenge for his surprise defeat to surprise Parisian champion Cole Hocker.

The Norwegian, who was one of the highlights of the circuit with his fourth place in the Stade de France, won this time with a lead of more than two seconds. He clocked 3 minutes and 27.83 seconds, while the American needed 3 minutes and 29.85 seconds.

“For me it was mostly mental, like going home, taking a few days off and then back to work,” said Ingebrigtsen, who at least took Olympic 5000m gold after his metric mile disappointment. “Tonight’s race gave me some good answers.”

Two Australians, Stewie McSweyn (11th in 3:34.80) and Olli Hoare (12th 3:36.03) could only play a minor role.

The best performance of the evening came from Olympic 800m champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi, who recorded the fourth-fastest two-lap time in history in his first race since the Games.

The 20-year-old Kenyan clocked 1 min 41.11 sec – 0.08 faster than his winning time in Paris – to equal Wilson Kipketer’s 1997 record, which was then a world record. Only Wanyonyi’s compatriot David Rudisha has run a faster 800, with his 12-year-old world record of 1:40.91 now surely running on borrowed time.

Olympic 200m champion Letsile Tebogo looked fresh after a hero’s welcome on the return trip home to Botswana, winning the half-lap in a time of 19.64 seconds.

Australia’s Georgia Griffith finished fifth in the women’s 3000 metres, while Ethiopia’s Diribe Welteji crossed the finish line first with a personal best of 8:21.50. Griffith’s time of 8:31.91 was well off the national record of 8:24.20 she set in her first Diamond League victory in Oslo in June.