Three years ago in Tokyo, Australia’s Nina Kennedy endured an Olympics nightmare.

American pole vaulter Sam Kendricks tested positive for Covid-19. The pair had trained at the same venue, so Kennedy was forced to leave the Olympic village and sent into isolation in a hotel.

Badly hampered by injuries in the run-up to those Games, Kennedy still competed – but failed to make 4.55m and was dumped out in the qualifying round.

Today, in Paris, she is an Olympic champion. Kennedy cleared 4.90m at the first attempt to beat America’s reigning gold medallist Katie Moon and make all sorts of history for Australia.

Her gold medal was Australia’s fourth of the day, which added to two bronze meant it was Australia’s greatest ever single day at an Olympics. Hers was also Australia’s 18th gold medal in Paris – our greatest ever haul.

And, just for good measure, Kennedy’s gold was Australia’s first win in a women’s field event in Olympics history.

MORE: Aussies claim FOUR gold as greatest-ever day confirms all-time Olympic haul

Last year, at the world championships in Budapest, Kennedy and Moon did something remarkable.

After three hours of competing in searing heat, they opted to stop fighting. The pair had an identical record. Kennedy had broken the Australian record twice – at 4.85m and 4.90m – but both had failed three times at 4.95m.

It was set for a jump-off. But after almost four hours in the scorching conditions, the pair said no. The gold was shared.

“We were out there for such a long time, we were pushing each other to the absolute limit,” Kennedy said afterwards.

“Katie is the world champion, she is the Olympic gold medallist, I didn’t think she would want to share it and I thought we might need to keep jumping.

“But I kind of looked at her and said ‘hey girl, you maybe wanna share this?’ and the relief, you could see it on her face and you could see it on my face and it was mutual.

“It’s absolutely incredible to share a gold medal with Katie Moon; we have been friends for so long.”

This time around, there would be no sharing.

“Damn, hell no,” she told Channel 9. “The thing about pole vault is that first attempt clearances are so important. I learnt from last year in Budapest. So I wasn’t going to share with Katie.”

After an early slip-up at 4.70m, Kennedy nervelessly launched herself over the bar at 4.80m, 4.85m and 4.90m on the first attempt at each height. It was a masterful display of composure – even when the competition was delayed by nearly 20 minutes for officials to fix a problem with the equipment that moves the bar.

Moon, meanwhile, failed on her first attempt at 4.85m, meaning she had to clear 4.95 to overtake Kennedy. She couldn’t.

And Kennedy, so calm and composed throughout the competition, exploded in joy. Tears streamed down her face.

There was Jess Fox in the crowd, Australia’s flag-bearer enthroned as an all-time canoe slalom legend after her Paris heroics. There was Matt Denny too, an Australian flag draped around his shoulders after claiming Australia’s first-ever men’s discus medal – a bronze – just a couple of minutes earlier.

That duo have remarkable journeys of their own.

But few in the Australian camp have been through the mental health challenges that Kennedy has faced, the Australian becoming an passionate advocate in that field with her vulnerability and strength in equal measure.

She told Nine: “If anyone’s really followed my journey, I’ve definitely had some really high highs and some really low lows… bit of depression, bit of anxiety, little bit of everything. Heaps of physical injuries.”

It took vulnerability, too, to publicly declare that this time around, Kennedy had her eyes solely on gold.

“You know, I was very open to the media about it, I was very vulnerable, I said from the start I wanted to win the gold medal,” she told Nine. “And it’s scary, it’s vulnerable – but I did it and I couldn’t be prouder of myself and my team.”

After last year’s world championships, Moon and Kennedy were hit by a torrent of abuse for deciding to share the gold. Never mind that they were coming up on four hours of competing in 30 degree sunshine in Budapest, throwing themselves five-odd metres into the air.

Afterwards, Moon spoke out on social media against “those that are calling us “cowards”, “shameful”, “pathetic”.”

Ever since then, it’s been all about today. About making the dream come true.

“Since the world championships I’ve thought about this day every single day since then. I’m not joking, I’ve probably thought about it five or six times a day.”

“I wanted this so badly,” she added.

From the heartbreak of Tokyo, to the sickening abuse for sharing gold at last year’s world championship, it’s been a long road to Paris for Kennedy.

She told Nine: “I really had to go to places I didn’t think that I’d have to go. I had to learn a lot about myself, the way I think, my past – and I had to focus on me as a person and focusing on Nina the human has really brought out the best in Nina the athlete.”

And now Nina the champion.

“Sounds pretty cool,” she replied.

It sure does.