Canada's Alysha Newman qualifies for Olympic women's pole vault final at Paris 2024
CBC
Canadian record holder Alysha Newman, in her third Summer Games appearance, will compete in an Olympic pole vault final for the first time.
Newman cleared 4.55 metres on Monday at Stade de France in Paris to qualify for Wednesday's final at 1 p.m. ET, which will consist of 20 women after only 11 of them met the 4.70 qualifying standard, with several finishing at 4.40.
Coming off a 45-minute sleep the previous night, the London, Ont., native missed her first attempt at 4.40 competing in Group A but made her next two jumps at 4.40 and 4.55 before the competition came to a halt. The automatic entry standard for the final was set at 4.70.
"I'm building something special," the six-time Canadian champion told Devin Heroux of CBC Sports. "My coaches really believe in me. Without my coaches and my family and my friends, I don't think I would be here. I'm bringing everything to the track on Wednesday and you better look out for me because I'm ready."
The 30-year-old was 17th in her 2016 Olympic debut in Rio, while Newman's second Olympics went off the rails quickly.
Three years ago in Tokyo, she couldn't plant the pole on her first attempt and leaned over after her second try, grabbing her left shin. Newman exited the women's qualification round on Aug. 2, 2021 after missing three attempts at 4.25 to mark her fourth no-height in five events. She didn't return to competition until the following May.
WATCH | Newman into her 1st Olympic pole vault final after 4.55m clearance:
"I can truly say I've been to hell and back this year [with injuries] but giving up is just not in my blood," she told CBC Sports at the time as she broke into tears. "I have to keep looking forward to the future [and] get ready for Paris [and the 2024 Olympics]."
Earlier this year, Newman was jumping as high as she ever had in her career indoors until suffering a Grade 2 right ankle sprain while cooling down after a training session two days before the start of competition at the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Scotland. She withdrew minutes before the start of the women's final.
Following a 12-week absence, Newman gradually regained her pre-injury form and cleared a season-best 4.76 on July 20 in Diamond League action at the London Athletics Meet in England to rank eighth in the world entering the Olympics.
WATCH | Newman jumps 4.76m in Paris Olympic tune-up:
All went to plan for American Katie Moon as she began her title defence on Monday, sailing over 4.55.
Moon shared world championships gold last year with Australia's Nina Kennedy, who had a similarly easy path through qualification Monday, never knocking the bar down, three years after nagging injuries saw her crash out at the initial stage.
Greece's Katerina Stefanidi (4.55), who won eight years ago in Rio, was also among the 20 competitors to progress. But it was a tough morning for Britain as its gold medal hope, Molly Caudery, was unable to clear her opening height of 4.55 after setting a national record and world lead of 4.92 in June.
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