Two-time Commonwealth champion Alana Boyd has bettered her own Australian pole vault record with a clearance of 4.77m at a meet in Queensland.
Competing on the Sunshine Coast on Thursday night, Boyd added one centimetre to the national mark of 4.76m she had set in Perth four years ago and then focused on going even higher.
"It has been nearly four years since my last personal best - that's so amazing," said Boyd.
"After years and years, I have found improvement.
"I knew that I was in good shape and had another career-best height in me.
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"... I don't see why I can't jump higher again.
"I have time now to keep tweaking the things that continue to improve and I am confident I can find leaps above 4.80m this season."
The 31-year-old Boyd enjoyed her best major championships meet to date when she was 11th at the 2015 world titles in Beijing with a top clearance of 4.60m which also bettered the qualifying standard for the Rio Olympics.
"My result in Beijing last year made such a difference," Boyd said.
"I proved to myself that I could do it when it counted and that's given me such a boost. I know that I can do it - there's no excuses."
Boyd will compete at upcoming meets in Adelaide, Melbourne, New Zealand and at the Olympic trials in Sydney, along with the world indoors in Oregon.
The huge clearance of 4.77m moves Boyd to 14th on the world all-time list headed by legendary Russian Yelena Isinbayeva with 5.06m.
Boyd set the new national mark 20 years to the day after fellow Australian Emma George cleared a then-world record of 4.41m.
