Busselton-born Olympic champion Nina Kennedy has announced her return to the world stage in spectacular fashion, breaking her own Australian record with a history-making pole vault performance in Monaco.

The 29-year-old cleared 4.95m at the Diamond League event, setting a new Oceania area record, Australian record and personal best in her final competitive appearance before heading towards the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

The remarkable performance comes after an 18-month battle with injury that threatened to derail Kennedy’s return to the sport.

A further setback prevented her from defending her world title at the 2025 World Championships, where she had shared gold with American Katie Moon two years earlier.

After making her return to competition in early 2026, Kennedy quickly showed she remained among the world’s best.

She won the Perth Track Classic in front of a home crowd before continuing her comeback on the international circuit.

Her 4.95m clearance in Monaco was her highest jump since becoming Olympic champion and moved her into elite company as one of the greatest female pole vaulters in history.

The Busselton product now holds the Oceania record and sits among the top performers all time, with her career highlights including Olympic gold in Paris, a world championship title in Budapest and Commonwealth Games gold in Birmingham in 2022.

Kennedy’s latest achievement also strengthens her preparations for the defence of her Commonwealth Games title, where she will enter as one of Australia’s leading medal hopes.