New Zealand pole vaulter Eliza McCartney (© Getty Images)
New Zealand’s Eliza McCartney broke the pole vault world junior record * when she scaled 4.64m at the Mt Smart Stadium in Auckland on Saturday (19).
McCartney, who turned 19 eight days ago, added one centimetre to the mark set by Sweden’s Angelica Bengtsson indoors in Stockholm in February 2011.
The previous world junior best outdoors was by Russia’s Alyona Lutkovskaya, who cleared 4.61m this summer, and McCartney added no less than 14cm to her own personal best and national junior and senior records.
"We've been looking at the record for a little while and this was the last chance I had to jump it," commented McCartney to local reporters.
After a third attempt clearance at 4.40m she asked for the bar to be raised to the record height, which she also went over on her third attempt.
"When you think about it like that it is quite a big improvement. I'm on a slightly longer run-up and slightly bigger poles so I was expecting to increase my PB but by that amount was really good.
"It's perfect timing. I don't train on Sundays so I've got the weekend to relax and have a wee celebration with my friends and family."
McCartney won the bronze medal at the IAAF World Junior Championships Oregon 2014 and went one better by taking the silver at this summer’s World University Games.
Phil Minshull for the IAAF
* subject to the usual ratification conditions
