Athletics: Kiwi breaks junior world record

Pole vaulter Eliza McCartney at the Millennium Institute. Photo / Michael Craig

Promising youngster Eliza McCartney set a world junior women's pole vault record yesterday but appears capable of more given she achieved it on a shortened run-up.

The recently-turned 19-year-old cleared 4.64m at Mt Smart Stadium, adding 1cm to Sweden's Angelica Bengtsson 2011 record.

It means she can now turn her attentions to preparing for next year's Rio Olympics. Last month she achieved the B qualifying standard of 4.50m but yesterday smashed the A qualifying mark of 4.55m. She still needs to be nominated by Athletics New Zealand and have that ratified by the New Zealand Olympic Committee but that seems a formality. Athletes are selected if deemed capable of a top-16 finish.

McCartney started competition yesterday at 4.40m, clearing on her third attempt, before the bar was raised to 4.64m. She missed her first two attempts but was well over on her last attempt.

McCartney, who was a recipient of a New Zealand Herald Future Stars of Sport award this year, earned a junior world championship bronze medal in Oregon last year and took silver at this year's World University Games in Korea. She now holds every New Zealand women's record in the pole vault, including breaking the New Zealand all-comers record of 4.57m set by Australian Emma George on the North Shore in 1998. This was the world women's record at the time.

"She's over the moon," McCartney's coach Jeremy McColl said. "We were planning on taking an extra height after that to try to qualify for the world indoor champs but there was too much adrenaline after that jump and the body shut down.

"Conditions weren't good [at Mt Smart]. It was bit too windy for us and it wasn't a direct tail wind, either.

"She's really jumping out of her skin. She's really worked for that height today.

"Who knows [what she's capable of]? She's got another four steps to add to her run up so that gives her a lot more speed and power and bigger poles for her. But it's a more difficult run up, too. A few more steps can help but timing and precision can change slightly."

McCartney and McColl will travel to the Sunshine Coast next month to train with double Commonwealth Games champion Alana Boyd where they will work on the full run up. The domestic season gets into full swing at the end of January with the national championships in March.

Rio will be just the fifth time women's pole vault has featured at the Olympics. The only other New Zealand woman to be selected in the discipline was Melina Hamilton at Athens 11 years ago.