Watch: Stadium side with Olivia McTaggart

Olivia McTaggart is one of the most promising up and coming athletes in New Zealand.

The talented pole vault star is set to follow in the footsteps of Olympic medalist Eliza McCartney but an injury a couple of weeks out from the 2018 Commonwealth Games looked like it might force her out of the Gold Coast trip.

She injured a ligament in her ankle at the Athletics New Zealand national championships last month but was able to rehab it and make the trip to the Games.

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It was a big relief for the teenager, who had started her sporting career in gymnastics. In 2014 she made the decision to leave that behind to take up athletics and pole vault more specifically. She immediately set herself the target of making the 2018 Commonwealth Games and worked her backside off trying to turn that dream into reality.

The Aucklander believes the biggest part of pole vault is actually believing you can make the height the bar is set at. She has worked hard on all aspects of competition with coach Jeremy McColl, including the mental part of the equation.

McTaggart eventually made it into the Commonwealth Games and did a solid job where she cleared 4.30m but wasn't able to equal her personal best of 4.40m.

She sat down with The Herald to talk about the mental ups and downs of just getting to these games.