LEONGATHA’s Eleanor Patterson made a clutch jump, at her third attempt, at 1.97m to stay in the competition at Budapest, and then sailed straight over 1.99m to temporarily lead the field for the High Jump World Championship with a season best height.
What a time to pull that one out..
But moments later, the favourite and leading jumper in the field, with a height of 2.06m, Ukrainian Yaroslava Mahuchikh took over the top place, also with a first-time jump at 1.99m.
It was 'game on' in the biggest arena of world athletics for Eleanor Patterson, but she was right up there with a chance to take a medal, and it might still have been gold.
What a courageous effort it was for Patterson after missing much of the early part of the season with a broken bone in her foot.
Olympic Silver Medallist, her Australian compatriot, Nicola Olyslagers, who had been urging Eleanor on from the sidelines, was also up and over at 1.99m at her second attempt.
It was then d-day for Eleanor Patterson as she missed her first two attempts at 2.01m and stood on the runway looking at the barrier to staying in the competition.
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian Mahuchikh went comfortably over 2,01m at her first attempt to stand alone on the top step.
Eleanor kicked off, gained speed, but the rhythm didn't look to be exactly right after a gruelling competition and she hit the bar on the way up and her competition was over, but it was enough to claim World Championship Silver to go with her gold in 2022.
Olyslagers looked at the 2.01m bar next and also brought it down, but it was silver and bronze for the two Australians as they embraced warmly at the end of a mentally draining day.
But it was all about the Ukrainian Yaroslava Mahuchikh and who could deny her the gold after the unimaginable strife in her own country over the past few years.
Mahuchikh took a shot at her own PB, moving the bar up to 2.07m but it wasn't to be.
All three women received their medals on the track and shared the limelight of the last event of the World Championships, upstaged you'd have to acknowledge by the stunning, come-from-behind win by the Netherlands women in the 4 x 400m relay. That's the championships for another year and against all the odds, Eleanor has taken a fitting silver.
