Olyslagers wins Australia’s first gold of Tokyo 2025
Matt Denny misses out on a medal in men’s discus
Nicola Olyslagers overcame two rain delays to deliver Australia’s first gold medal of the world championships on the final evening, being first to clear 2m to win on a countback over Poland’s Maria Zodzik and cement her place at the summit of high jump.
On an extraordinary and at times farcical evening in Tokyo, however, the men’s discus was stopped because of incessant rain that left the circle slippery, and then restarted after the final track event. The saga stretched proceedings late into the night and prompted a desperate attempt by officials to use dozens of towels to keep the circle, the discus and the athletes’ shoes as dry as possible.
Only at the very end of the session, past 11pm on a Sunday in Tokyo with the stadium near empty, did the rain cease. Two late throws flipped the placings and shunted Australia’s Matt Denny off the podium, as Sweden’s Daniel Ståhl – who had been dancing under an umbrella at the start of the evening – claimed the gold medal with a throw of 70.47m.
