New Zealand pole vaulter Imogen Ayris has had one of the best results of her career at the Diamond League event in Rabat, Morocco.
She leapt 4.7 metres in finishing second behind Australian Nina Kennedy, the current Olympic champion, who has also won World Championship and Commonwealth Games titles in her career.
Kennedy finished well clear of the field, recording 4.8m.
It was Ayris's best Diamond League performance and the first time she's been on the podium. The result continues her excellent 2026, after she won bronze at the World Indoor Championships in Poland.
Another New Zealander in the pole vault, Olivia McTaggart, finished tied for fifth, clearing 4.6m.
Two other Kiwis at the meet were both off the pace in their events.
Geordie Beamish finished back in 13th place in the 3000m steeplechase, with a time of 8:16.80, more than seven seconds off his personal best. Beamish, the 2025 World Champion, never featured in the race which Moroccan Soufiane El Bakkali won, delighting the home fans.
El Bakkali won in a blistering and world-leading time this year of 7:57.25.
Tom Walsh also finished down the field in the men's shot put. He was just sixth with a best distance of 21.24m, well behind winner American Joe Kovacs, who recorded 22.58m, a world-leading distance this year.
"A little disappointed," said Walsh. "It's the best I've moved in the comp this year. I'm feeling ... like I've got a lot of juice in the tank, and, it's just not going to the wheels at the moment."
New Zealanders will be back in action on the Diamond League circuit in just three days, at the Rome Diamond League.
The meet will feature Eliza McCartney, who will make her international debut this year, where she will be joined by McTaggart in the women's pole vault, while Walsh will seek redemption in the shot put.
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