Australian high jumper Eleanor Patterson has leapt to a morale-boosting victory at the Diamond League meet in Stockholm as she continues her build-up to this month's world outdoor championships.
Patterson made a successful clearance of 1.96 metres to beat Ukrainian rivals Yuliya Levchenko and Iryna Gerashchenko, who both cleared 1.93m.
It was tough going for Patterson, who needed three attempts to clear 1.93m in her season-opening outdoor event, but it was just the tonic she needed ahead of the world titles in Eugene, Oregon, in a fortnight.
"It wasn't my best preparation for today, with a bit of a niggle picked up in the warm-up at a previous Diamond League event, so to come away with the win in my season opener is great," Patterson said.
"I fly to America now for a training base in Seattle with the Australian team to acclimatise.
"As Australians, we are away from home for a long time during the year, which is why I decided to make a later start to my season.
"I can fly there with confidence now after this evening."
Patterson claimed a silver medal at the world indoor championships in Belgrade last March.
The world outdoor championships in Eugene is the first of two major assignments for Patterson, with the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham to follow at the end of the month.
She won the 2014 Commonwealth Games gold medal in Glasgow as an 18-year-old in her senior international debut.
"After Oregon I have the Commonwealth Games, which I love as that was my first international competition," Patterson said.
"I then will return to the Diamond League, aiming to make the finals. That will be difficult because of starting late but the Diamond League is where it's at."
Patterson finished fifth in the Tokyo Olympics final last year, with countrywoman Nicola McDermott winning the silver medal.
Another Australian competing in Stockholm, Catriona Bisset, recorded a time of 1:58.54 to finish third in the women's 800m. Kenyan Mary Moraa took victory in 1:57.68.
The men's 100m race was robbed of its biggest name when Olympic champion Marcell Jacobs, who was due to make his first Diamond League start of the season, pulled out because of injury.
In his absence, South Africa's Akani Simbine cruised to victory in a time of 10.02, with Australia's Rohan Browning finishing seventh in 10.38.
In the men's 3,000m, Dominic Lobalu set the best time of the season with a blistering spurt on the home straight to win in 7:29.48.
Australia's Stewart McSweyn (7:31.93) finished fourth, while compatriot Jack Rayner (7:47.62) ran a personal best for his ninth place.
Filip Sasinek of Czech Republic took out the men's 1,500m in 3:36.56, with Australian Matthew Ramsden finishing fourth in 3:37.05.
Swedish Olympic champion Armand Duplantis set an outdoor pole vault record of 6.16m, but it was four centimetres short of his world record of 6.20m that was set indoors.
ABC/wires
