Katie Moon wins in Rabat
Common readers will know that I’m a fan of Katie Moon. She is a good pole vaulter a World and Olympic champion and a completely good one that is all the time blissful to speak. She is American however her husband is British, so she deserves no less than half marks!
She has had begin to 2025, She competed 4 instances indoor and recorded 4 wins. 4.80 in Manhattan, 4.82 at Millrose, 4.83 at Lievin, France and 4,80 on the US indoors. She was second in Doha with 4.63. Then in Rabat it was one other win with 4.73.
She stated of her efficiency in Rabat: “It was even higher than in Doha. We’re nonetheless coaching by proper now and making an attempt to compete. We correctly construct up fatigue, however truthfully it’s good and I felt higher than in Doha. I’m extra targeted and capable of do higher on the runway. After all I’d have liked to leap increased as a result of coaching goes very well. However I had some actually good jumps right now and I’m executing higher than ever in competitors. I’ll take that as a result of it implies that increased heights are ready. There are such a lot of variables and it takes some extra competitors rhythm to get again in to it. I’ll go dwelling for the subsequent few weeks due to how lengthy the season is. I wish to break it up, I’ll come again for Paris and doubtless London Diamond Leagues. We’re gonna house it out, strategically. However I’m excited to return dwelling and be with my pet and husband”. [ in that order?]
Katie has had an amazing profession. The primary championship I noticed her in was the 2018 World Indoors when she was 5th behind Sandi Morris (4.95) Anzhelika Sidirova and Aikaterina Stefanidi, the three who dominated ladies’s pole-vault in that interval. She was seventh within the 2019 Worlds with medals once more going to Morris, Sidirova and Stefanidi.
The 2021 Olympics noticed a change of the world order with Katie profitable Olympic gold, adopted by second within the 2022 World Indoors and first place within the World (out of doors) Championships. 2023 noticed her joint World Champion with Nina Kennedy after which within the Paris Olympics one other silver medal. She had turn into the dominant feminine vaulter.
Earlier this yr she advised me she was letting the long run occur! “I’m completely going by this yr. The tentative aim is that I’d like to be at a house Olympics (2028), however I simply don’t know what my physique will really feel like. Mainly, sure, I’d like to, however we’re simply going to take it yr by yr and see the way it goes. This sport is tough sufficient as it’s. Should you’re not having fun with it, on the core of it, then it’s too troublesome to place your self by all the pieces. And I imply, that’s actually to not sound cliché, however that’s why I began it after I was a child. I simply liked it. I assumed it was probably the most enjoyable factor ever. So I’d love to come back full circle and luxuriate in it on the finish of my profession.
Katie is now primarily based in Tulsa, working full-time together with her husband, Hugo. She remains to be coached by Brad Walker, however remotely. “I’ll work with Brad until I retire. So he’s nonetheless writing all my coaching plans. He’s nonetheless very a lot concerned, however you get to a degree within the pole vault the place we’re not making an attempt to reinvent the wheel. I’ve just about discovered the majority of what I can from him. And now I can do much more of it away from him and simply fine-tune with him”.
Anticipate to see her on a number of extra podiums earlier than she calls time.
