Kennedy and Hull among the athletics stars in Paris (2024)

As unlikely as it seems, the seeds of Australia's track and field success at the Paris Olympics were sown at the world youth championships in the Ukrainian industrial city of Donetsk way back in 2013.

That 2013 Australian squad included the likes of Nina Kennedy, Jessica Hull, Matt Denny, Eleanor Patterson, Nicola Olyslagers and Mackenzie Little.

It's quite the roll call of talent and it also happens to include most of Australia's medallists at the 2024 Olympics.

Denny was already a star on the rise - good enough to win world youth gold in the discus and bronze in the hammer.

Kennedy was just starting to make her mark in the exacting discipline of pole vault, although within two years she was the youngest member of the Australian team for the senior world championships in Beijing.

They formed a lasting friendship.

And it was only fitting that when Kennedy won Olympic gold on Thursday night, one of the first people to wrap her in a big bear hug of congratulation was the burly Queenslander.

Only a few minutes earlier at the other end of the Stade de France, Denny had finally broken his senior global medal drought with bronze in the discus.

"I was down there 30 seconds after Nina found out that she was going to win," Denny told AAP at ASICS House in Paris.

"We spoke about it afterwards when we were waiting for drug testing and doing media.

"She was watching my competition when she could and I was watching her.

"It's incredible to see were she's come from and across the careers we've had.

"But we're in agreement that we've still got more to do, to keep providing for the team and hopefully give some more inspiration to future generations."

In arguably the most individual of all sports, the Australian track and field squad has not always fully embraced the team mentailty.

But the 2024 iteration really does seem different - at the elite end with the likes of Denny and Kennedy and right down to Games rookies like Alanah Yukich.

The young West Australian was battling away in the repechage round of the 400m hurdles on Monday when she heard Denny loudly cheering her on from the infield on the top bend.

Two hundred metres further around the track and it was Kennedy - in the midst of pole vault qualifying - exhorting her to hang in there.

"There has been a real flick of the switch around what the standard is in this Australian team," said Denny.

"No-one is here to just to get tracksuits, everyone's on the team to compete.

"And it doesn't matter whether you're contending for a medal or not, everyone's showing up to PB and be in shape."

Kennedy's gold and Hull's 1500m silver were the jewels in the crown of Australia's seven-medal haul - the second-most ever at an Olympics, bettered only by the high-water mark of 12 at the 1956 Melbourne Games.

In the words of Australian high performance boss Andrew Faichney, Hull's stunning silver behind the legendary Grace Kipyegon "crashed through the glass ceiling".

"It's our first middle-distance track medal medal since 1968 so that in itself says a lot," said Faichney.

"They are bloody hard to win and we've now got a silver medallist in the 1500.

"To come out and take on the whole whole world, to come out as a silver medallist and run the time that she did ... is just incredible."

With the core of the Australian team aged in their late 20s and in the prime of their careers, the immediate future looks bright through to the Los Angles Olympics and beyond.

And casting an eye even further down the track, five members of the Paris squad will be heading to Peru next month for the world junior championships - including sprinter Torrie Lewis and rising 800m stars Claudia Hollingsworth and Peyton Craig, all of whom reached the semi-finals in Paris.

Who's to say they won't form the same special bond in Lima as the Donetsk class of 2013?

AUSTRALIA'S ATHLETICS MEDALLISTS IN PARIS

Gold

Nina Kennedy - women's pole vault

Silver

Nicola Olyslagers - women's high jump

Jessica Hull - women's 1500m

Bronze

Matthew Denny - men's discus

Eleanor Patterson - women's high jump

Jemima Montag - women's 20km walk

Jemima Montag and Rhydian Cowley - mixed marathon walk relay

Australian Associated Press