Young pole vault sensation Eliza McCartney added four new New Zealand records to the books at the opening of the AUT Millennium pole vault facility last night.
McCartney, vaulting against two time Commonwealth champion Alana Boyd from Australia, gave an almost flawless display to clear 4.71m, smashing her own NZ National, Resident, Allcomers and Under 20 records and beating the Australian champion and record holder.
It has been a big week for the 19-year-old, winning the Sky Next Emerging Talent Award at the Halberg Awards, claiming the new records and coming up against Boyd again tomorrow evening at the Auckland Track Challenge in Waitakere.
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The Takapuna athlete opened at 4.25m, clearing with ease, and repeated at 4.45m where Boyd joined the fray but took three attempts to clear.
The bar moved to 4.60m where McCartney cleared on her second attempt, but the Queenslander needed another three attempts, squeaking over on her final trial at the height.
At the next height 4.71m, Boyd missed her first, but the confident Kiwi was up and over with ease, landing in the new pit with a big smile on her face.
Boyd couldn’t clear on her remaining two attempts at 4.71m and it was left to McCartney to have three solo attempts at 4.82m, going very close on her second.
Had she cleared 4.82m, McCartney would have taken Boyd’s Oceania record of 4.77m.
Such was the ease of her victory, the Oceania record of 4.77m might not last long.
From: https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/sport/other/teen-pole-vault-sensation-hits-new-career-height-with-national-record.html
