
Australian high jumper Nicola Olyslagers
Nicola Olyslagers is a prominent high jumper from Australia. She earned a silver medals in the high jump at the Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Olympics and currently holds the Oceanian record in this event. She is also two-time World Athletics Indoor champion and World Athletics Championships bronze medalist.
Born on December 28, 1996, in North Gosford, Australia, Nicola Olyslagers began her journey in athletics at a young age, participating in competitions during her school years.
Her athletic career commenced in 2011, where she achieved victories at the Mingara and Sydney U16 events, and placed fourth at the Sydney NSW Championship. The following season, she secured wins at both the Sydney NSW Open Championships and the Sydney NSW All Schools Championships.
In 2014, Nicola Olyslagers claimed a silver medal at the Melbourne IAAF World Challenge and finished fourth at the Melbourne Australian Championships. She also placed fourth at the 2015 Universiade held in Gwangju, South Korea. During that same season, she earned bronze medals at the Melbourne IAAF World Challenge, Brisbane Australian Championships, and Sydney Australian Junior Championships.
Nicola Olyslagers participated in the women’s high jump at the 2017 World Championships in Athletics and also competed in the women’s high jump at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, where she achieved a personal best of 1.91 meters and secured a bronze medal. On June 20, 2019, she recorded a personal best jump of 1.96m at Mestsky Stadion in Ostrava, Czech Republic. On August 29, 2020, in Sinn, Germany, she further improved her personal record to 1.98 meters, elevating her to second place on the all-time list of Australian women high jumpers.
On April 18, 2021, Nicola Olyslagers set new Australian and Oceanian records with a jump of 2.00m. She subsequently raised her personal best to 2.01m in Stockholm on July 4, 2021, and achieved a height of 2.02m at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics on August 7, 2021, earning a silver medal. At the Diamond League’s Athletissima Lausanne and Allianz Memorial Van Damme in Brussels she earned the bronze, while at the Meeting de Paris triumphed with the gold. At the 2021 Diamond League Final at Weltklasse Zurich, Nicola Olyslagers triumphed with the bronze, clearing 2.01m.
In 2022, Nicola Olyslagers started the season with another national title, winning the Sydney Australian Championships and later earned the bronze at the Rabat Diamond League. She triumphed with the gold at the Paavo Nurmi Games in Turku, before winning another Diamond League’s bronze at the Meeting de Paris. At the Eugene World Athletics Championships, she finished 5th, while at the Birmingham XXII Commonwealth Games failed to record a successful attempt in the final. However, she ended the season by winning the bronze at the Memorial van Damme in Business and Diamond League Final at Weltklasse Zurich, but during the whole year did not cleared 2-meter mark.
Nicola Olyslagers started 2023 season with local warmup events, winning the gold at the ACT U20 & Open Championships, Maurie Plant Meet – Melbourne, Sydney Track Classic, and Brisbane Australian Championships. She started at Diamond League in full force, winning the gold at the Meeting de Paris with 2.00m and won another gold at the Athletissima Lausanne, improving her season’s best to 2.02m. At the Chorzow Diamond League Silesia Kamila Skolimowska Memorial, she won the silver, while at the Monaco Diamond League returning to wins and grabbed the gold. Nicola Olyslagers won the bronze at the Budapest World Athletics Championships, before triumphing with Diamond League Final’s silver at Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, clearing 2.03m, which is her personal best.
In 2024, Nicola Olyslagers earned her second Olympics honor, winning the silver at Paris 2024 Games. Meanwhile, she became World Athletics Indoor champion in Glasgow and grabbed another national title at the Adelaide Australian Championships. At the Diamond League, she won the silver at the Meeting de Paris and Weltklasse Zurich, the bronze at the Athletissima Lausanne, as well as the silver at the Final in Brussels Memorial van Damme.
Nicola Olyslagers defended her world’s indoor title in 2025, triumphing at the Nanjing World Athletics Indoor Championships.
Nicola Olyslagers is recognized as one of the most promising and skilled athletes in track and field, making her a leading contender in high jump events.
Nicola Olyslagers in numbers
2x Olympics silver medalist
2x World Athletics Indoor champion
1x World Athletics Championship bronze medalist
5x Diamond League wins
1x Commonwealth Games bronze medalist
5x National champion
Personal Best: 2.03m (high jump)
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