McCartney Soars To A 4.85m Performance In Luxembourg

Eliza McCartney stepped up her preparations for the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest in style today by nailing 4.85m - the joint-third best clearance of her career - to win in Schifflange, Luxembourg.

For the 26-year-old vaulter it was her best height since the 2019 Potts Classic in Hastings four-and-a-half years ago and it also propelled her to number two on the World Lists for 2023 behind World and Olympic champion Katie Moon of the USA.

After several years of injury struggles, McCartney is returning to her very best form in 2023. The Auckland-based vaulter claimed the New Zealand title in Wellington in March and cleared 4.75m at the Australian Championships.

She has continued to impress during her European stint and will be hugely encouraged by adding 10cm on to her season’s best at the CAS International Meeting in Luxembourg. The Kiwi required two clearances at her opening height at 4.43m today before advancing beyond 4.63m at the second time of asking. She needed all three vaults to equal her season’s best mark of 4.75m before she successfully wriggled clear with her second attempt at 4.85m to set a Meet Record.

Huiquin Xu of China placed second (4.33m) with Kiwi and 2022 Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Imogen Ayris third (4.23m.)

An ecstatic McCartney said: “As you can imagine, I am really happy with the result today. It was a funny competition. I didn’t find it easy today for no other reason that I wasn’t as on as I’d like to be, but the conditions were great, and we had an enthusiastic crowd around the pole vault which made it so much easier. I was grateful for their support.

“I struggled a little bit in warm up and during the competition, but the heights were there today, and it was an outstanding result given that I wasn’t feeling so good.

“I’m happy to hit a season’s best and be back in the 4.80s again and to be jumping in the 80s again for the first time since 2019. There is a lot more in there, it is just small gains at the moment. I’m taking it one step at a time and looking forward to competing in Jockgrim on August 4 - which will be my last one before World Championships. I’m excited to line up at one of my favourite comps.”

McCartney’s PB and Oceania record mark of 4.94m was set in Jockgrim in 2018.

The 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest take place from August 19-27.

***For results go here

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