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Javelin superstar Kelsey-Lee Barber has joined the great Cathy Freeman as the only Australians to successfully defend a world athletics title.
- Kelsey-Lee Barber's incredible throw 66.91m is enough to earn her a second straight World Champs gold medal
- The gold is her third straight medal at major events, after gold at Doha 2019 and bronze at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics
- Australia now has three medals — two gold and a bronze — at the Oregon event
Barber further embellished her reputation as a supreme big-event competitor at Hayward Field with a huge third-round throw of 66.91 metres.
With two days of competition remaining, Australia now has three medals — two gold and a bronze — with the possibility of a few more to come.
The 30-year-old Barber has won medals at each of her past three major championships — world gold in 2019 and 2022 and bronze at the Tokyo Olympics.
Three years ago in Doha, she clinched gold with her final throw in dramatic style.
This time it happened much earlier in the competition.
Barber's winning throw was more than two-and-a half metres better than American Kara Winger's silver-medal effort of 64.05m.
"I have definitely dreamt of this moment," Barber said.
"It's one thing to win it once, but to go back-to-back is totally different.
"And I'll be honest in saying I wanted to do it, I've wanted it for a really long time. It's part of my dreams within this sport.
"About a month ago I nailed it down. I was chatting to [coach and husband] Mike and said 'I can do this, I can win the world championship'.
"That self-belief just really drove my training and it didn't falter from there."
Haruka Kitaguchi from Japan was third with 63.27m and Australian Mackenzie Little was fifth with a PB of 63.22m.
Freeman won back-to-back 400m gold medals in 1997 and 1999.
Meanwhile, after being added to the 800m semi-finals having been pushed to the track in her opening-round heat, national record holder Catriona Bisset was unable to take advantage of her good fortune.
She trailed home last in her semi in 2:05.20.
The Victorian required 11 stitches to mend a wound on her thigh as she was spiked by another runner after her fall.
In the men's pole vault, reigning Commonwealth champion Kurtis Marschall bowed out of the qualifying round.
Marschall's only successful jump was at 5.50m before he failed three times at 5.65m, way below his PB of 5.87m.
Earlier on Friday, 49-year-old mother-of-four Kelly Ruddick — the oldest female athlete ever to compete at a world championships — came home 34th of the 35 finishers in the women's 35km walk.
AAP