Katie Moon wished to separate the gold. Nina Kennedy wished to separate the gold, too.
The pole vaulters knew that was doable, due to a pair of excessive jumpers who turned their tie on the Olympics two years in the past right into a feel-good second the place everybody walked away a winner.
Moon and Kennedy did the identical factor Wednesday night time at world championships, cementing their friendship by agreeing to separate the title after ending in a tie for first place.
“I type of checked out her and mentioned, ‘Hey lady, you possibly wish to share this?” Kennedy recounted.
Moon did. She positively did.
“What a tremendous night time,” Moon mentioned. “I hope everybody loved that one.”
They will thank Mutaz Essa Barshim (Qatar) and Gianmarco Tamberi (Italy) for the concept. Two years in the past on the Tokyo Olympics, they paved the best way to splitting a title after they completed deadlocked within the excessive bounce. It despatched Tamberi into all types of celebrations, together with a belly-flop onto the observe (Tamberi gained a title of his personal Tuesday night time in Budapest).
In excessive bounce and pole vault, athletes hold leaping till they miss three makes an attempt in a row. Ties are damaged by who has extra misses at a sure top. If nonetheless tied, they depend the variety of misses via the complete last. If there’s nonetheless no distinction, a jump-off ensues. However when an official on the Olympics instructed Barshim and Tamberi {that a} tie was doable, they jumped at it.
And so, a precedent was set.
“It is humorous as a result of till the Olympics, I by no means realised you might cut up the gold medal,” mentioned Moon, the Olympic champion from america who now will get credit score for defending her world title. “I simply did not realise that was a factor. Coming into this coming into the meet, you do not count on that it will come all the way down to one thing like that.
“And it is humorous as a result of I by no means knew what I do within the second.”
Seems, share it.
Moon and Kennedy, an Australian, missed all three tries at 4.95 metres (16 ft, 2 3/4 inches). Proper after, Moon regarded on the official to realize some form of clarification.
“He mentioned there was going to be a bounce off and I simply assumed (Kennedy) would wish to so I simply mentioned, Yeah,'” Moon mentioned.
Moon mentioned that solely as a result of she already had a title to herself, and he or she at first assumed Kennedy would need an opportunity to win her personal, too. However Moon was exhausted. So was Kennedy, whose legs had been cramping.
“After which when it regarded like she possibly did not wish to (go to a bounce off), it was like, I do not wish to, both,’” Moon mentioned. “Like, Did we simply grow to be finest mates?’”
Certainly.
“We had been pushing one another to absolutely the restrict,” Kennedy mentioned. “Completely unbelievable to share the medal with Katie Moon. We have been mates for thus lengthy, so it is tremendous particular.”
“I knew I may get on the rostrum, however it was a miracle to get the gold. So, I feel a miracle occurred tonight.”
Kennedy thought she might need gained the competition when she cleared 4.90 on her third and last try. Moon needed to clear that top, too, or gold went completely to Kennedy.
Moon rose to the event.
“I’d positively say that was my most clutch bounce of all time,” mentioned Moon, who competed as Katie Nageotte earlier than not too long ago getting married. “I feel we each motivated one another.”
As for the way they may settle it down the street, effectively, that is to be determined.
“I suppose we’ll discover out, Moon mentioned with fun. Nina’s so superior. I am simply so pleased that we each get to share this.”