Your Gateway to Pole Vaulting Excellence
Highs & Lows of Pole Vaulting
9th European Indoor Championships 2000
Commonwealth Games 2002 / World Student Games 1995 / European Club Cup 2000/2001
3 x British Champion
Personal Best 5.55cm age 26 year 2000
Height 1.85cm
Weight 78Kgs
Q1 Pole Vault High Point
Finishing 9th at the European Indoors was a real highlight for me in 2000, then stringing a 5.50, 5.51 and 5.55cm 3 competitions in a row to win the B event at Modesto Relays USA 2000.
Q2 Pole Vault Low Point
Not making an Olympics was really tough for me. I had surgery for cancer in 1995 which took nearly a year to recover from, so I narrowly missed the A standard for the 1996 games. Then in 2000 I felt I was even closer attempting 5.60m every competition but just couldn't quite get there.
Q3 Biggest Pole & Highest Grip
Personal Best was on 5m 190lb grip 4.90m
Biggest Pole 5m 195lb grip 4.95 - Swung to bed but not enough to extend and complete the vault attempting 5.60m.
Q4 What are your 3 key factors for success in Pole Vault
Confidence in yourself, your coach and your training group/friends who share common goals
I believe anyone can get reasonably fast and strong, but a solid technical foundation is critical
I'm a massive believer that you should be having fun and love what you are doing
Q5 Life after Pole Vault.
When did you know it was time to retire? Was it hard? What did you do after Pole Vault?
After the commonwealth games in 2002 I had undergone numerous surgeries, my body was breaking down and I realised I needed an exit strategy.
I found retiring from athletics incredibly difficult, my entire life was focused around the sport trying to become an Olympian. Giving up on my dreams was tough to take.
I threw all my effort and drive into education and have worked in sports medicine since that time. I love my work and I'm glad I have followed this life path. Never any regrets as I met some of the best people/friends you could ever hope to have. I'm back into coaching now giving something back to the sport that provided so much for me for my entire life.