Olympic champion Nina Kennedy adds to awards haul with top WAIS gong

World champion pole vaulter and Olympic gold medal fancy Nina Kennedy has capped a stunning 12 months by winning her maiden West Australian Institute of Sport Athlete of the Year award.

Kennedy shared the world title with American Katie Moon with a jump of 4.90m at the world titles in Budapest last August, elevating her to equal favouritism for the title at this year’s Paris Olympics.

Her results included Diamond League victories in Zurich and Paris and she broke Australian and Oceanic records three times. Her jump of 4.91m in Zurich set a new national benchmark.

Kennedy picked up Athletics Australia’s Bruce McAvaney Award in January for performance of the year in 2023. Her coach Paul Burgess was named WAIS coach of the year, after also taking that gong for the second year running at the AA awards. Burgess also steered Kurtis Marschall to a bronze medal at the world championships.

The world championship final lasted almost three hours and Kennedy twice broke her own Australian record, at 4.85m and a last-attempt effort at 4.90m.

Moon responded and the two competitors were locked with three unsuccessful attempts at 4.95m, when they agreed to share the glory.

“We were out there for such a long time, we were pushing each other to the absolute limit,” Kennedy said at the time of her shared world title which attracted some criticism as there was no outright winner.

“Kate is the world champion, she is the Olympic gold medallist, I didn’t think she would want to share it and I thought we might need to keep jumping.

“But I kind of looked at her and said ‘hey girl you maybe wanna share this?’ and the relief, you could see it on her face and you could see it on my face and it was mutual.

“It’s absolutely incredible to share a gold medal with Katie Moon; we have been friends for so long.”

Men’s high jumpers Mutaz Essa Barshim, of Qatar, and Gianmarco Tamberi from Italy, shared the gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics.

Kennedy won the WAIS award for 2023 performances from Olympic gold medallist and dual world champion Laser class sailor Matt Wearn.

Wearn made the finals on the back of his first world title in 2023 and has since gone back to back.

Netballers Courtney Bruce, Sunday Aryang and Sophie Garbin were also finalists as key players in the Diamonds’ victory in last year’s World Cup.

In other awards, presented last night at Crown Casino, rower Jacqui Swick was named young athlete of the year.

A member of the Australian women’s eight crew at just 21, Swick medalled in every senior international race in 2023, winning a bronze medal at the world championships which was a Paris Olympics qualifier.

Other finalists in that category were Alex Rossi (rowing), Iona Anderson and Alex Saffy (swimming).

Burgess won coach of the year from Jamie Hewlett (rowing), Shane McDonald (basketball) and Danny Kevan (athletics).

Rowing was named program of the year with wheelchair basketball and swimming the other finalists.