Nina Kennedy ticks off another goal at Glasgow Commonwealth Games as she nears the end

For most of us, falling for 5 metres is terrifying. For Nina Kennedy, provided there’s no bar following her down, the fall is the fun part.

But last year introduced her to a fresh fear: the fear that it might all be over.

The reigning Olympic and world champion in pole vault tore her hamstring early in April last year.

Despite the long recovery from surgery, Kennedy was initially named in the Australian squad for the World Athletics Championships in September, but a strained muscle just a couple of days later dragged her back to reality.

She had to watch as American rival Katie Moon won outright the title they shared two years earlier.

Yesterday, she was named Australia’s flag-bearer for the Commonwealth Games opening ceremony, which felt like a long shot when she was in the depths of rehab less than a year ago.

“Whenever you have a major surgery and you’re out for the whole season, there’s definitely that doubt of, ‘Will this get fully better and will I return to my best and better?'” she said after flying out of a pre-Games athletics training camp early to accept her flag-waving honour.

“You have those thoughts, but you put in the work you do the rehab, you listen to your team, speak to your sport psychologist and never stop dreaming.

“I’m so proud of myself. Of course there were doubts, but I’m lucky enough to do this as a job and I’m pretty damn good at it. I work my arse off every day. So I’m not surprised but I am really proud of myself.

“As athletes we try and get the best out of ourselves, so my mind always goes to, ‘What if I don’t get to defend my Commonwealth title? What if I don’t make it back to the Olympics? What if this hamstring goes again and my career’s over and I haven’t really soaked up the last few years like I should have?'” 

Kennedy has been representing Australia on the world stage for more than a decade, but the past five years since turning to the sport full time have seen her conquer the world and set the Australian women’s pole vault record 10 times, including just two weeks ago in Monaco.

The 29-year-old admitted the Brisbane 2032 Olympics would probably be a bridge too far for her, so it was time to look around and enjoy what was happening while she was still on the field.

“Sport can be so fleeting so I’ve really learned to enjoy every step and this is such a special honour. I’m really going to try and soak this in and make some good memories,” she said.

Unfortunately, she knows herself too well and is pretty sure she will not nail it when she leads her teammates into Glasgow’s Hydro for the opening ceremony tomorrow morning (AEST).

“I’ll be thinking, ‘Soak this in, soak this in, soak it in,’ and then I won’t soak it in,” she said.

“That’s what will happen.”

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