Olympic pole vault: Australia’s Nina Kennedy and USA’s Katie Moon stage another epic showdown … with Kennedy prevailing

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SAINT-DENIS, France — At the end of a grueling three-hour pole vault competition in sun-baked Budapest last August, the U.S.’s Katie Moon and Australia’s Nina Kennedy made a snap decision that drew surprisingly harsh backlash.

Exhausted and emotionally drained, they chose to share World Championship gold rather than compete in a jump-off to decide an outright winner.

“To walk away healthy and with a gold medal, while celebrating with my friend that had jumped just as well, was a no-brainer,” Moon wrote on Instagram in defense of that decision. “Part of the reason we’ve reached the highest level is by listening to our bodies, and knowing our limitations. We decided that in this particular moment, sharing glory was just as good as earning it outright.”

Almost a year later, Kennedy and Moon returned to an international stage on Wednesday night for the Olympic women’s pole vault final. They fittingly arrived in Paris as the co-favorites to win gold, Kennedy, 27, clearing the highest bar of any pole vaulter this year and Moon rounding into form after early-season injuries.

By the end of Wednesday night’s competition, Moon and Kennedy were again locked in a head-to-head battle as one by one the field fell away. Kennedy was first to clear 4.90, setting the bar for gold. After a lengthy wait for the men’s 400 to be completed, Moon clipped the bar on her first attempt at 4.90, ran through on her second and clipped the bar on the third.

And so this time, the women’s pole vault final produced one clear winner, Kenndey capturing gold and Moon the silver. Canada’s Alysha Newman took bronze.