Armed with a new women’s Canadian pole vault record, Alysha Newman is hoping to scratch a couple of other items off her season to-do list at Friday’s Diamond League final in Brussels (CBCSports.ca, 2 p.m. ET).
Newman’s stated goal of jumping 4.80 metres is within reach in her final event of 2017, as is a Diamond League Trophy and $ 50,000 US in prize money.
“Pole vault is a very technical event with so many different factors. I show up to every event with nothing but a ‘I’m going to win’ attitude,” the 23-year-old Newman told CBC Sports on Monday after improving upon her national outdoor mark with a jump of 4.75 metres at Sunday’s 19th International Pole Vault Meeting in Beckum, Germany.
Alysha Newman (@alysha_newman94) breaks 🇨🇦 pole vault record with a clearance of 4.75m in Germany. pic.twitter.com/81oenFL2EE
“Relying on an object to work for you every time is something that takes time and experience to make the proper decisions when things aren’t going your way.”
Newman cleared 4.75 with room to spare on her third and final attempt to secure a second-place finish behind 2017 world bronze medallist Sandi Morris of the United States, who jumped 4.80. Yarisley Silva of Cuba and Holly Bradshaw rounded out the podium at 4.70.
Newman had struggled finding a comfort level with “a pretty stiff pole” she had used since placing seventh (4.65) at the track and field world championships earlier this month in London, England.
“It took me four meets to finally feel comfortable on that pole,” she said. “It still wasn’t one of my best jumps [of the season] technically, but I made it work.”
Canadian pole vaulter Alysha Newman finishes 7th at World Championships0:43
Newman’s old Canadian mark of 4.71 was set in April at the Hurricane Alumni Invitational at the University of Miami. The London, Ont., native went on to exceed 4.65 six times in her rookie professional season entering her debut at the world championships.
‘I don’t want to be perfect at this point. I want to know that I can fix a lot more, so I can jump a lot higher.’— Pole vaulter Alysha Newman after breaking her Canadian outdoor record
Newman understands there is plenty of room for improvement, a point her club coaches Doug Wood and Zeke Krykorka stressed on the weekend, and that suits the former gymnast just fine.
“I don’t want to be perfect at this point,” said Newman, who started pole vaulting at 16 after two fractured vertebrae forced her to retire from gymnastics. “I want to know that I can fix a lot more, so I can jump a lot higher.”
Greek champion Ekaterini Stefanidi, who won the women’s pole vault at last summer’s Rio Olympics by clearing 4.85 and posted a world-leading 4.91 at worlds, has been a source of inspiration for Newman.
“She doesn’t jump five metres or 5.95. She’s so consistent at 4.80 and 4.85 that you go to a meet and she jumps that [routinely],” Newman told CBC Sports earlier this summer. “That’s what makes her a threat to everyone. I want to go into a competition knowing I will jump 4.75, 4.80 on a good day or bad.”
After capturing the world title, Stefanidi jumped 4.75 to victory at Diamond League Birmingham, England on Aug. 20 and enters the Brussels competition as the heavy favourite.
“We compete against each other but we motivate and push each other to jump as high as we can,” said Newman. “I’m more of a threat now. I’m consistent and that’s a good thing to have when you’re a pole vaulter.”
