Ekateríni Stefanidi at the 2014 IAAF Diamond League meeting in Birmingham (© Jean-Pierre Durand)
World, Olympic and European pole vault champion Katerina Stefanidi will be joined at the Muller Grand Prix Birmingham by 2012 Olympic champion and world leader Jenn Suhr in heading up a stacked pole vault field at the IAAF Diamond League meeting on Sunday 18 August.
Stefanidi, currently world ranked No.1, achieved her first ever victory at an IAAF Diamond League meeting in Birmingham in 2014. The 29-year-old has now won the Diamond trophy in the women’s pole vault three years in a row.
In outdoor championships, she is undefeated since 2015 and set a Greek record of 4.91m on her way to gold at the IAAF World Championships London 2017.
Suhr, the 2012 Olympic champion and five-time global medallist, heads to Birmingham full of confidence having recently made the US team for what will be her sixth World Championships.
Suhr, who holds the world indoor record at 5.02m, cleared 4.91m in March this year to top the 2019 world list.
New Zealand’s Eliza McCartney is one of many talented athletes in the field who could run the pair close in Birmingham. The Kiwi athlete is third on the world all-time-list, clearing 4.94m last year, and earned bronze at the 2016 Olympic Games at the age of 19.
European bronze medallist Holly Bradshaw will look to build on her impressive performance at the Muller Anniversary Games last month where she finished third.
USA’s Katie Nageotte, Cuba’s 2015 world champion Yarisley Silva, Canadian record-holder Alysha Newman, world bronze medallist Robeilys Peinado and Sweden’s Angelica Bengtsson are also set to compete, meaning seven of the women in the top 10 in the world pole vault rankings will be competing at the Alexander Stadium, making the pole vault one of Birmingham’s top events.
Organisers for the IAAF
