Stuart Weir, the senior author for Europe for RunBlogRun, wrote this piece with Katie Moon, the 2021 Olympic champion, the 2024 Olympic silver medalist, and the 2022 and 2023 World Champion. Moon is one in every of our hottest RunBlogRun athletes and continues to guide American ladies’s pole vaulting.
Katie Moon remembers the 2024 Olympic pole vault closing
The qualifying competitors for the ladies’s pole vault on the Paris Olympics led to some controversy. The principles had been that the highest 12 would qualify for the ultimate. 11 athletes cleared at 4:55, and an additional 15 had been profitable at 4:40, however all had three failures at 4:55. 9 of the 15 had no failures earlier than 4:55, whereas 6 had had an earlier failure.
The officers appeared to have three choices: enable simply the 11 who had cleared 4:55 to progress to the ultimate, have some type of jump-off to allow one of many 9 who had had no failures earlier than 4:55 to take twelfth place, or—and this was what they opted for—enable all 9 to progress to the ultimate. After all, that meant there can be 20 athletes leaping within the closing—truly 19, as one withdrew.
Profitable athletes think about what issues and get on with it. I’m unsure St Francis of Assisi had the format of the ladies’s pole vault in thoughts when he prayed, “Lord assist me to vary what I can change, to simply accept what I can’t change and to know the distinction” however his phrases had been very related to the 2024 Olympic pole vault. Kate Moon commented, “I didn’t essentially agree with taking that many individuals, however as soon as the circumstances, you possibly can mentally put together for it. And that’s simply what I did, however it isn’t supreme. The pole vault is an extremely lengthy competitors – as it’s with 12 ladies, with out including one other 9. I don’t know what the proper reply was. I feel it in all probability was to take eleven of us as an alternative of requiring 12. Or in the event that they should have 12, then some type of a tiebreaker jumps off, however I feel it was finally the improper alternative.
It was method too lengthy, and I imply, we noticed the requirements break as soon as it reached a sure level. Sadly, it hindered what may have been an excellent higher pole vault competitors. All three of us may have jumped increased. I don’t know that the outcomes would have completed out any in another way relating to medal placement, nevertheless it hindered what may have been an excellent higher competitors. “
In a latest interview, Mondo Duplantis stated that he discovered championship competitions far more difficult than, say, a Diamond League – not due to the competitors however due to the lengthy ready time between jumps. Going again to the Paris ladies’s Olympic closing, when Katie Moon or one of many different prime vaulters cleared the bar the primary time, they needed to wait whereas 18 different athletes vaulted earlier than it was their flip once more. Within the second spherical, with the bar at 4:60, eight athletes managed first-time clearances however then needed to look ahead to 37 vaults earlier than finishing that spherical, and 13 athletes moved on to 4:70.
However typically, clouds have a silver lining, and for as soon as, the sluggish competitors suited Katie. She explains: “I feel the ready labored to my benefit. I wakened that morning feeling very sick, so I used to be actually apprehensive. I didn’t have a giant power tank, so I centered on making each leap depend. Then, the power to take a seat down, regroup, and calm down helped. Fortunately, my physique felt sharp, and I used to be nonetheless executing effectively, however I knew I didn’t have a battery. So it did assist me on this occasion, however in some other regular circumstance, I might have thought, ‘That’s method too many’”.
The competitors progressed with Katie clearing 4:40, 4:60, 4:70, and 4:80 on her first try after which 4:85 on the second try. Solely Nina Kennedy cleared 4:90 and was the Olympic Champion. Katie’s 4:85 was sufficient to complete second forward of Alysha Neuman on countback.
On the night of the ultimate, I keep in mind texting Katie to say, “Nicely finished or Unhealthy luck.” She replied that she was thrilled with silver and had no regrets. Three months after the Olympics, she defined: “I don’t suppose I’ve ever had that a lot enjoyable at a contest earlier than, simply the whole lot about it. I all the time say that Tokyo was very particular, however Paris was unbelievable in each method; the stadium’s crowd and power had been unbelievable. After which having my household and buddies there was simply superior. Though my yr had not been going effectively, my practices within the final couple weeks earlier than Paris had been wonderful, and I lastly felt like I may put collectively a great meet; that was all I wished to do. Medals apart, clearly, we wish to win a medal. I simply wished to go away that competitors feeling like I had lastly had a gathering the place I jumped effectively. And so I did that and claimed a medal with my household there; it was good. Incomes a medal or strolling away from any championship with any coloration of {hardware} is an effective day as a result of something can occur. All people exhibits up at championships, particularly the Olympics, so that you should be on – to get any coloration medal. And I’m simply grateful that I did”.
