Olympic champion Nina Kennedy and Molly Caudery are set for a fascinating Commonwealth Games showdown after the Australian pole vaulter had to settle for silver at a Diamond League meet in Rome.
Kennedy, the reigning Commonwealth Games champion who also won gold at the Paris Olympics, produced a season-best leap of 4.80m last week in Morocco.
That eye-catching performance marked Kennedy's first Diamond League outing in 18 months, with hamstring injuries having ruined her 2025.
The West Australian continued her impressive form in Rome, completing first-attempt clearances at both 4.70m and 4.80m.
But misses at 4.60m proved costly as English rival Caudery clinched the gold medal on countback.
"I had a bit of a stumble early. Some pole vault set-ups can be quite different and you have to align the variables to make the perfect jump," Kennedy said.
