A good day, mate: Kennedy wins pole vault at Paris Games for Australia's record 18th Olympic gold

PARIS (AP) — Nina Kennedy bounced off the pole vault mats and punched the air once, twice, three times. She ran over to the Olympic crowd and took another three swings at the air.

Aussies in the stands flew the flag, shook green-and-gold banners and held up yellow inflatable kangaroos.

Kennedy didn't know at that stage she would deliver Australia an 18th gold medal at the Paris Games — a national record for the Olympics. That was just the celebration for clearing the height to take the lead.

Kennedy clinched the victory a bit later Wednesday when Tokyo Olympic gold medalist Katie Moon failed to clear 4.95 meters after a three-hour final.

Then the emotions took over. Kennedy raced back to her supporters in the crowd and the tears flowed as she hugged friends, family and discus throw bronze medalist Matthew Denny, who just happened to be walking back after his final to join the group. Then Kennedy sprang back across the track, hopping with delight.

A man in the crowd yelled: “What did you just do?”

Well, delivering Australia's fourth gold medal on Day 12 helped surpass the country's previous record total of 17 golds for a Summer Games — set at the 2004 Athens Olympics and in Tokyo three years ago. The Australians moved from 14 to 18 gold medals in about six hours, while most of the country Down Under was sleeping.

“I didn’t know that, that is just insane,” Kennedy said after being told of the record haul. "I can’t wait to go home and watch a replay of the whole Olympics.”

It was a good day — no need to abbreviate g'day for this feat — as Aussies woke up to news of the record. The productive stretch had Australia ranked third in the gold-medal standings behind the United States and China with four days of the Paris Games remaining. Australia had 18 gold, 12 silver and 11 bronze for a total of 41 medals, still well short of the record 58 it won at home at the 2000 Sydney Games.

Brisbane, Australia, is in line after the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics to host the Summer Games in eight years. The starter's gun has gone off.

The Australian team's other golds on Wednesday included a first in two decades for the men’s team pursuit cycling team, which edged rival Britain at the Vélodrome National de Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines. Sailor Matt Wearn successfully defended the men's dinghy title and skateborder Keegan Palmer made it back-to-back Olympic golds.

It was slightly overwhelming for the 21-year-old Palmer, with skateboarding great Tony Hawk praising his work and Snoop Dogg in the bowl.

“It’s an absolute honor, you know, just being able to be a part of that crew that was able to beat the record for us, with 18, it really doesn’t get much better," Palmer, who grew up on Australia's Gold Coast, an hour down the road from Brisbane, said in a night-time interview. "Australia is where I learned how to walk, talk, skate, surf, do everything I know how to do.

"So that’s why I also represent Australia, because that’s where it all went down for me. They deserve to have a gold medal come back for the stuff they’ve given me.”

AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games

Conor Leahy of Australia exchanges a kiss as he celebrates winning the gold medal in the men's team pursuit event, at the Summer Olympics, Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)

Australia's Oliver Bleddyn, Sam Welsford, Conor Leahy and Kelland O'Brien take the start on their way to clinch the gold medal in the men's team pursuit event, at the Summer Olympics, Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)

Australia's Keegan Palmer is lifted by Tate Carew, left, of the United States and Brazil's Pedro Barros after he won the gold medal in the men's skateboarding park finals at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

Nina Kennedy, of Australia, celebrates after winning the women's pole vault final at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2024, in Saint-Denis, France. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)

Nina Kennedy, of Australia, celebrates after winning the women's pole vault final at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2024, in Saint-Denis, France. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)

Nina Kennedy, of Australia, competes in the women's pole vault final at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2024, in Saint-Denis, France. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Nina Kennedy, of Australia, center, celebrates after winning the women's pole vault final at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2024, in Saint-Denis, France. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Nina Kennedy, of Australia, raises her arms after a successful vault, in the women's pole vault final at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2024, in Saint-Denis, France. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Nina Kennedy, of Australia, celebrates after winning gold in the women's pole vault final, along with Matthew Denny, of Australia, who won bronze in the men's discus throw final, at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2024, in Saint-Denis, France. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Nina Kennedy, of Australia, competes in the women's pole vault final at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2024, in Saint-Denis, France. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Australia's Keegan Palmer competes in the men's park skateboarding final during the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France, Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2024. (Odd Andersen/Pool Photo via AP)

Australia's Oliver Bleddyn, Sam Welsford, Conor Leahy and Kelland O'Brien celebrate winning the gold medal in the men's team pursuit event, at the Summer Olympics, Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan) (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Matthew Wearn of Australia celebrates after winning the gold medal at the end of the ILCA 7 men's dinghy class final race during the 2024 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2024, in Marseille, France. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Nina Kennedy, of Australia, reacts after winning the women's pole vault final at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2024, in Saint-Denis, France. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Three Americans, two Spaniards and a Czech citizen were arrested Saturday after Venezuelan officials accused them of coming to the South American country to assassinate President Nicolas Maduro.

The arrests were announced on state television by Diosdado Cabello, the nation's powerful interior minister. Cabello said the foreign citizens were part of a CIA-led plot to overthrow the Venezuelan government and kill several members of its leadership. In the television program, Cabello showed images of rifles that he said were confiscated from some of the plotters of the alleged plan.

The arrest of the American citizens included a member of the Navy, who Cabello identified as Wilbert Joseph Castañeda Gomez. Cabello said that Gomez was a former navy seal who had served in Afghanistan, Iraq and Colombia. Spain's embassy in Venezuela did not reply to a request for comment on the arrests of its citizens.

The U.S. State Department late Saturday confirmed the detention of a U.S. military member and said it was aware of “unconfirmed reports of two additional U.S. citizens detained in Venezuela.”

“Any claims of U.S. involvement in a plot to overthrow Maduro are categorically false. The United States continues to support a democratic solution to the political crisis in Venezuela,” the statement said.

The announcement of the arrests comes just two days after the U.S. Treasury imposed sanctions on 16 allies of Maduro who were accused by the U.S. government of obstructing voting during the disputed July 28 Venezuelan presidential election, and carrying out human rights abuses.

Earlier this week, Spain's parliament recognized opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez as the winner of the election, angering Maduro allies who called on the Venezuelan government to suspend commercial and diplomatic relations with Spain.

Tensions between Venezuela's government and the U.S. have increased as well following the election, whose result sparked protests within Venezuela in which hundreds of opposition activists were arrested.

Venezuela's Electoral Council, which is closely aligned with the Maduro administration, said Maduro won the election with 52% of the vote, but did not provide a detailed breakdown of the results.

Opposition activists, however, surprised the government by collecting tally sheets from 80% of the nation's voting machines. The tally sheets collected by the opposition were published online, and they indicate that Gonzalez won the election with twice as many votes as Maduro.

Despite international condemnation over the election's lack of transparency, Venezuela's supreme court, which has long backed Maduro, confirmed his victory in August. Venezuela's attorney general then filed conspiracy charges against Gonzalez, who fled to Spain last week after it became clear he would be arrested.

Maduro has dismissed requests from several countries, including the leftist governments of Colombia and Brazil, to provide tally sheets that prove he won the election. Maduro, who has been in power since 2013, has long claimed the U.S. is trying to overthrow him through sanctions and covert operations.

The Maduro administration has previously used Americans imprisoned in Venezuela to gain concessions from the U.S. government. In a deal conducted last year with the Biden administration, Maduro released 10 Americans and a fugitive wanted by the U.S. government to secure a presidential pardon for Alex Saab, a close Maduro ally who was held in Florida on money laundering charges. According to U.S. prosecutors, Saab had also helped Maduro to avoid U.S. Treasury sanctions through a complex network of shell companies.

FILE - Socialist Party President Diosdado Cabello gives his weekly press conference, in Catia La Mar, La Guaira, Venezuela, Aug. 19, 2019. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos, File)

FILE - Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro addresses government loyalists gathered at the presidential palace in support of his reelection one month after the presidential vote, in Caracas, Venezuela, Aug. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos, File)