Busselton-born pole vaulter Nina Kennedy nominated for SportWest WA Sports Star of the Year award

A glittering 2023 has resulted in Busselton-born pole vaulter Nina Kennedy earning a nomination for the SportWest WA Sports Star of the Year award. The award recognises the State’s most outstanding athlete across the calendar year, with former Australian cricket captain Kim Hughes — who claimed the honour in 1979 and 1980 — the most recent winner from the South West. Kennedy’s year started on the mend from stress fractures in her back but she was a world champion by August, claiming gold in the women’s pole vault at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest. In a red-hot contest with American Katie Moon, Kennedy twice broke the Australian record on the night of the final, vaulting heights of 4.85m and then 4.90m. Both failed to clear the 4.95m mark and could not be separated on countback before they opted to share the gold medal in heart-warming scenes. The 26-year-old capped off the season by pipping her own record, clearing 4.91m at a Diamond League meet in Zurich in August. The award will be presented on February 29, with cyclist Jai Hindley looking to go back-to-back, and cricketer Mitch Marsh and sibling golfers Min Woo and Minjee Lee among the other nominees.