Katie Moon on the World Championships

Katie Moon is the two-time World Championship gold medalist and Olympic champion for the Males’s pole vault. Stuart Weir wrote this piece on Katie Moon and her unimaginable 2023! 

Katie Moon on the World Championships

Katie Moon entered the World Championships in Budapest in August 2023 because the reigning World Champion however as a short-lived reigning champion.  With the 2021 World Champs Covided out and postponed for a yr.  The 2021 World Champion had just one yr to indulge in that glory.

Nonetheless, she arrived in Budapest as World Champion – did that give further confidence or add a strain, I puzzled? “A bit little bit of each, however I’d say extra confidence. I feel it simply solidifies to myself, ‘OK, you might be good at this’. You possibly can go on the market assured.  You realize what to anticipate, however you realize something can occur. So be prepared for that. However you understand how to execute.   You know the way to make issues occur.  You know the way to win. Does that imply I’m going to win each time? No, however I understand how to deal with it going on the market, and it does give me plenty of inside confidence, and I’m very grateful for that. Nevertheless it’s taken years, and it’s taken a number of massive wins to actually really feel this fashion. Nevertheless it undoubtedly provides some strain for positive, however I like that, and I feel I actually attempt to see it extra as OK and this offers confidence.

On paper, the qualifying regarded comfy, 3 jumps growth, 3 bars, and thru to the ultimate, however as Katie identified, that was extra work than she had anticipated: “What’s attention-grabbing is that it was probably the most I’ve ever jumped in a prelim. In order that was truly extra taxing than any earlier qualification at a championship that I had ever skilled. It’s at all times nice to do regardless of the minimal is, however for instance, the yr earlier than, it was one and achieved, and so was Tokyo, and so to return into the qualification at Budapest and have to leap thrice meant we had been on the market for longer and three jumps in a prelim setting is unquestionably a bit extra – I don’t need to say emotional – nevertheless it’s simply extra taxing and extra exhausting and so once more, I very glad to only get to do regardless of the minimal was that day.  Nevertheless it was it was a bit extra taxing than I had anticipated it to be as a result of the women had been simply leaping so properly. It was only a reflection of how good the ladies’s pole vault is turning into. The depth that’s there. A number of ladies set PBs to make it to the ultimate, so it’s actually cool”.  Cool, however utilizing up a bit of extra power than anticipated.

Within the ultimate, 12 girls had been decreased to eight at 4.65, and two extra failed at 4.75. Solely 4 had been nonetheless going after 4.80 at which Katie wanted a second try. Murta and Sutej failed at 4.85, leaving simply Katie and Nina Kennedy, who every took three makes an attempt to clear 4.90.  By the point each had failed at 4.95, Katie had taken 11 vaults and Nina 12. Then, as Tamberi and Barshim had achieved in Tokyo, the pair determined to not have a jump-off however to accept joint gold medals.  On the time, Katie mentioned: “When the ultimate began, I didn’t assume sharing a gold medal would work for me, however now I’m fully happy. What a battle it was! When it turned apparent that solely Nina and I had been nonetheless leaping, the present had simply began. I feel we each motivated one another. When she had an excellent try, I additionally wished to have it. It was tiring however definitely worth the effort. What a tremendous night time. I hope everybody loved that one. We did”.

After we talked a number of months later, she was happy to have been nominated – with Nina – for a World Athletics Honest Play Award however pissed off on the unfavorable response to not having a jump-off. I requested her to mirror on the choice to share the gold medal and title of World Champion: “I’m so proud of it”, she informed me. “I imply, it’s attention-grabbing, after the Honest Play Award announcement, individuals had been nonetheless commenting fairly unfavorable issues about it. On the finish of the day I’m so proud of how that went.  I feel I’ve mentioned every thing I have to say on it, however I simply know that was precisely how that ought to have performed out, and I’m thrilled to have walked away that day with one other gold medal – and to be simply as blissful that my buddy received to stroll away with the gold medal too.

“Individuals see athletes as if we’re leisure as if this are our job, and so we should always be capable of do actually something and every thing that we’re ever requested of us. And I get it. I imply, I’ve watched sports activities my entire life, and also you undoubtedly get sort of caught up on this: ‘How might they make that mistake? How might they do that? How might they do this?’  And also you simply want to understand that we’re human beings, and sadly, pole vault is harmful [particularly when you are tired after 11 vaults]. All sports activities have their dangers, however for us, we’re current 4 to five meters off the bottom, so if we stand up within the air however don’t execute appropriately, we’re going to land badly. So I wished to reside to struggle one other day”.

To complete as Olympic Champion and double World Championship doesn’t appear too unhealthy.