Lausanne Diamond League 2024: Eleanor Patterson pips Nicola Olyslagers for second place in high jump

Australia’s Paris 2024 Olympics medallists Eleanor Patterson and Nicola Olyslagers claimed second and third spots, respectively, in the women’s high jump event at the Lausanne Diamond League 2024 in Switzerland on Friday.

Patterson achieved a season-best of 1.96m for second place ahead of Nicola Olyslagers, who could not jump beyond 1.92m.

Former world champion Patterson has a personal best of 2.02m. She won the bronze medal at Paris 2024 for clearing 1.95m. Olyslagers won silver at Paris 2024 by clearing 2.00m and set the national record of 2.03m in January this year.

Olympic champion Yaroslava Mahuchikh of Ukraine claimed the top spot at the Lausanne athletics meet for clearing a height of 1.99m.

"I'm having so much fun tonight - that is what's the most important," Eleanor said. "It's great to be back in Lausanne. I competed here three years but I was exhausted and didn´t perform well. This time, I felt energised and in one piece, and I managed to jump my season's best."

Georgia Griffith, meanwhile, came fifth in the women’s 3000m with a timing of 8:31.91.

Griffith set a national record of 8:24.20 to register her maiden Diamond League victory in Oslo in June. Earlier this month, Griffith made it to the semi-finals at Paris 2024.

The women’s 3000m race in Lausanne was won by the 2023 World Championships silver medallist Diribe Welteji of Ethiopia with a personal best and meet record of 8:21.50.

Two Aussies - Oliver Hoare and Stewart McSweyn - ran in the men’s 1500m event.

Stewart matched his season’s best time of 3:34.80 to finish 11th while Oliver, who had a season-best of 3:31.07, finished in 3:36.03 for 12th place.

Oliver, the reigning Commonwealth Games champion, was nearly seven seconds off his personal best and national record of 3:29.41, which he clocked last year.

Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigtsen, the Paris 2024 Olympic champion in 5000m, won the race with a meet record of 3:27.83. Stewart and Ollie competed at Paris 2024 but were both eliminated in the repechage round.

On Thursday, Kurtis Marschall secured joint third place in the men’s pole vault with an effort of 5.82m. The 27-year-old from Australia had finished sixth in the men’s pole vault at the Paris 2024 Olympics with a leap of 5.85m.

The next instalment of the Diamond League will take place in Silesia, Poland on Sunday. The Diamond League Final will be held in Brussels on September 13 and 14.