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Nicola Olyslagers has had the best worst night of her career after missing out on becoming a new \u2018Ultimate\u2019 athletics high jump champion, only to learn to her surprise that she had still leapt to the biggest payday of her life.<\/p>\n
Australia\u2019s world champion managed to only clear 1.95m on the first night of World Athletics\u2019 inaugural Ultimate Championship in Budapest on Friday (Saturday AEST), struggling with her approach on a difficult surface on a cold night as Ukraine\u2019s Olympic champ Yaroslava Mahuchikh beat her to the title with a 1.99m leap.<\/p>\n Olyslagers\u2019 runner\u2019s-up spot earned her US$75,000 (AU$105,000) \u2013 US$5,000 more than she pocketed for winning the world title last year \u2013 as part of the record $US10 million ($14m) prize pot for the streamlined new event that World Athletics hopes will attract a host of new fans<\/a>.<\/p>\n Only when speaking to reporters afterwards did Olyslagers realise just what she would be taking home.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat? Really? I genuinely thought it was just first prize got the 150k and second was like 10,000,\u201d she said. \u201cYou are the bearer of good news. That\u2019s fantastic.\u201d<\/p>\n Olyslagers, wrapped in a scarf and still shivering 40 minutes after her event, said she struggled with her approach on a firm-surface run-up but, with more than half the field exiting very early, she realised that after two fails at 1.95 a clearance would be enough for second place.<\/p>\n She duly sailed over at the final attempt, punching the air in delight. \u201cThat\u2019s the happiest I\u2019ve ever been after a 1.95. I think I celebrated as if I\u2019d won the whole competition and it was a really good jump,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt just showed tonight that all of us were a little bit tired but I mean, that 95 jump, I\u2019m still living off that.\u201d<\/p>\n Olyslagers\u2019 domestic rival Eleanor Patterson also looked uncomfortable all evening but took joint third with a modest clearance of 1.91 a week after she\u2019d jumped 10cm higher to win the Diamond League crown.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s the lowest I\u2019ve jumped all year. Really, really frustrating,\u201d said Commonwealth champ Patterson. \u201cAfter the best season of my life I really wanted to enjoy it but I didn\u2019t really.\u201d<\/p>\n Triple Commonwealth pole vault champion Kurtis Marschall managed only fourth with a best of 5.95m as Swedish superstar Armand Duplantis again revelled in being the star attraction, having seen the event open with a theme song he had both co-written and performed.<\/p>\n
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