London Diamond League 2024: Australia’s Nina Kennedy, Mackenzie Little and Oliver Hoare emerge winners

Reigning world champion Nina Kennedy (women’s pole vault), world championships bronze medallist Mackenzie Little (women’s javelin throw) and Oliver Hoare (men’s one mile) won their respective events at the London Diamond League 2024 on Saturday.

All three athletes are part of the Australian athletics team for the Paris 2024 Olympics.

Kennedy, who is also the reigning Commonwealth Games champion, marked a best of 4.85m at the London Stadium in England to top her event.

The Australian athlete made three unsuccessful attempts for 4.95m, which would have been the world leading mark for this year which currently stands at 4.92m, achieved by Great Britain’s Molly Caudery in France last month.

Canada’s Alysha Newman, the 2018 Commonwealth Games champion, was second with a 4.75m effort. Caudery, the reigning indoor world champion, finished third with the best leap of 4.65m.

Australia’s national record in the women’s pole vault stands at 4.91m, set by Kennedy in Switzerland last year.

Two other Australian track and field athletes won their events at the London Diamond League 2024.

Mackenzie Little, the 2022 Commonwealth Games silver medallist, finished first in the women’s javelin throw competition and Oliver Hoare topped the men’s one mile race.

Little managed a personal best of 66.27m throw in her first attempt, which proved to be the winner. She also breached the 60m mark in four of her next five attempts.

For Little, who won the Lausanne leg of the Diamond League last year, this was her second win at a Diamond League meet.

With a Serbian record throw of 65.58m, Adriana Vilagos finished behind Little while USA’s Maggie Malone-Hardin completed the top three in the women’s javelin throw in London.

Five Australian runners featured in the men’s one mile event but only Oliver Hoare finished in the top three. A Commonwealth Games record-holder in the men’s 1500m, Hoare clocked a season-best 3:49.03 to secure his first Diamond League meet victory.

Stewart McSweyn (3:49.59) was ranked fifth while Cameron Myers (3:50.16) ended sixth. Adam Spencer clocked 3:55.49 to finish 14th while Callum Davies did not finish (DNF).

Catriona Bisset, a four-time national champion, also registered a season-best time of 1:58.12 in the women’s 800m to finish ninth.

Meanwhile, former men’s 3000m national champion Jude Thomas and Yual Reath, an Oceania champion in the men’s high jump, did not set a mark in their pet events at the London Diamond League.

Organised by World Athletics, the Diamond League is an annual track and field competition series. The London event was the 10th meet of the 2024 season.

Athletes earn points in each leg and the top athletes in each event make the finals. Each final winner bags a Diamond League trophy. The Diamond League 2024 finals will be held in Brussels, Belgium in September.