In April, on the final day of the national titles in Adelaide, the Australian high jumper Nicola Olyslagers did something unusual. Having defended her championship crown by clearing 2.01m, with competitor Eleanor Patterson bowing out at 1.99m, Olyslagers could have called it a day and soaked in the success. If she wanted another attempt, she could have tried to equal her personal best, at 2.03m, or even beat it, at 2.04m.
Instead, the Tokyo Olympics silver medallist lifted the bar by a full five centimetres, to 2.06m. It was a bold move, a statement in the lead-up to the Paris Olympics. It was not to be – Olyslagers could not quite cleanly clear the height. But it suggested that the 27-year-old will not be constrained by incremental improvement.
