Australian Olympic pole vaulting champion Nina Kennedy is set to compete at the Athletics World Championship in Tokyo despite undergoing hamstring surgery just five months ago.

The Olympian has been suffering from ongoing hamstring strains, including three in six weeks.

Kenneday says she was forced to choose between recovery from surgery or three months of conservative rehab with no promise that the injuries wouldn’t persist. She chose the surgery route, however, the recovery was long.

“It probably took three to four months, so I’ve only really been training properly for four weeks,” she said.

Despite only recently making her return, Kennedy has her eyes on making the finals in Tokyo.

“I want to say I’m at like 80 percent, and 80 percent is good enough to make a final. And at the world champs final, anything can happen.”

Kennedy is no stranger to competing with injuries, after winning her gold medal in Paris with a stress fracture in her back.

At the 2023 Athletics World Championship in Budapest, Kennedy shared gold with American rival Katie Moon. In Paris, Kennedy became the first Australian woman to win an Olympic gold medal in pole vaulting.

Kennedy says she initially had her mind set on defending her championship, getting a world record and a personal best in Tokyo. However, since the injury, she has had to adjust her goals.

“A win in our books is getting to the championships and saying that we’ve done everything we can,” she said.

“If we can do all of that and I win, then great.”

Photo: Nina Kennedy by Filip Bossuyt found HERE and used under a Creative Commons licence. The image has not been modified.