World Athletics Championships: Nicola Olyslagers World Champion

21 September 2025

World Athletics Championships: Nicola Olyslagers World Champion 

Nicola Olyslagers closed the Australian campaign at the World Championships with gold in the high jump. It was the third NSW medal of the championships behind bronze medals from Jess Hull in the 1500m and Mackenzie Little in the javelin throw.

World Champion Nicola Olyslagers wins her sixth global medal

Favouritism for gold, didn’t seem to effect Nicola Olyslagers who was clinic in claiming her third high jump world title and second in 2025. She had a little luck, clearing 2.00 metres on her first attempt, just prior to the start of a rain break. However, two of her three 2.02m attempts were easily the best of any athlete, and this on a wet run-up. 2022 world champion, Eleanor Patterson, was going well early, but a first attempt miss at 1.97m would be crucial and cost her a share of the bronze medal, eventually placing 5th with a jump of 1.97m.

"This was just pure joy, even in the rain,” Nicola said. “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.”

“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. 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.”

For Nicola, her Christian faith puts more of an emphasis on her journey.

“It was love that carried me. You know, jumping without passion is just moving limbs, but jumping with a real love moves nations. And I've seen that in my life.

“It's been an unforgettable night you know, when I came into this competition, I was reminding myself that I came dead last in my first world championships eight years ago. I've just seen year by year it's gotten better and better and you know when I was last placed I had such a love in my heart and I felt like I belonged so when I went into this competition ranked number one I knew that my value could never be taken away whatever place I come because Jesus really transformed my heart and now my body every year because I have the love and so tonight when it was raining and we're waiting for hours in between attempts that love was just like a light inside of me that it wasn't raining on the inside and I had like such a hope that I'm like I get to do this, this is a gift so World champion was a cherry on top but really that experience was something unforgettable.”

Nicola is the undisputed world leading high jumper in 2025. World Indoor and outdoor champion, Diamond League champion and World Leader with 2.04m.

Jess Hull clocks 1:57.30 to go with her 1:57.15

From the gun the pace in the women’s 800m final was very hot, passing 400m in 55.7 seconds. Jess, in her sixth race of the championships, was initially off the back of the field, got close at the bell, passing it at 57.29 seconds.

“That was crazy,” Jess said. “I knew I had gone fast because the clock was stopped at 55.7 at the 400, so, yeah, that was incredible. The girls really rang it tonight, and I think we knew that final was going to be fast, and it was just a matter of how composed I could be, and I was.”

Over the last lap Jess edged closer to the pack and in the end was 8th in another incredible time of 1:57.30. It just missed her freshly minted national record of 1:57.15 in the heats. No other Aussie has run under 1:57.5, she has now twice.

For Jess’s sixth and final race, ‘Team Hull’ opted for a change. Alongside Jess throughout her warm-up was her Dad and coach Simon. But as the warm-up track was 15 or 20 minutes from the track by bus, worried he would not get to the stadium to see Jess run, on the previous five occasions Simon watched the race on television from the warm-up track, but for Jess’s last race he made it to the stadium.

“He's (Simon) here in the stadium tonight for the first time,” Jess said.

“He hasn't come across until this evening, so I'm really glad he got to experience it. And he's been awesome. He's rock solid with me, and he makes me believe that anything is possible. It's been really cool to share this with him. It feels like we've got all the championship experience in the world now and we just gotta start turning that to gold in some capacity.”

Men 4x100m relay

The men’s 4x100m relay would be the lone Australian team to make the final. With Josh Azzopardi out injured and replaced by Tasmanian Jacob Despard, NSW was still represented by the lead-off athlete Connor Bond and anchor Rohan Browning. After a strong start, unfortunately the last change between Calab Law and Rohan didn’t succeed, with the team failing to finish.

David Tarbotton for Athletics NSW

Image: Nicola Olyslagers (courtesy of Australian Athletics)