Once again, the Weltklasse Zürich street athletics show drew a large crowd to the ticket hall of Zurich Main Station. Commuters welcomed the change in their daily rush hour routine and stopped to cheer the world’s best female pole vaulters. The athletes thanked them with top performances: Eight out of ten athletes managed to clear 4.62m.
In the end, it was world and Olympic champion Katerina Stefanidi (GRE) who triumphed. She was the only athlete to proceed to the height of 4.72m without any failed attempts, which proved to be key to her success. Sandi Morris (USA) was the one opponent who challenged her up until the end: While Stefanidi missed her first attempt at 4.82m, Morris skipped the height and went on to clear 4.87m. Stefanidi followed suit and – to the delight of the cheering crowd – succeeded, as well. As Morris had had more failed attempts, 4.92m were a must for her to win. She failed three times, however, placing second.
Winner Stefanidi gave the 4.92m a try, but was not successful. The final result for both Stefanidi and Morris was 4.87m – a world leading performance and an IAAF Diamond League record for both of them.
Motivated by the crowd
Katerina Stefanidi credits her technique for her current top form. “We are working very hard on technical details and nuances, and on my run-up,“ she explained. And then there is the mental aspect: “I just have a lot of self-confidence at the moment. In pole vaulting, you have be able to concentrate quickly, because of the long breaks between each attempt. I can do that really well right now. And then there are the incredible fans; they push us to great performances.“
Runner-up Sandi Morris was excited about last night’s competition, as well: “I am really happy with the season’s best, particularly because I struggled earlier in the season. Today I was with myself again, and that showed in my result.“
Nicole Büchler takes fourth place
One day prior to the competition, things did not look too bright for Swiss pole vault star Nicole Büchler. Nursing a hip injury and battling a cold, she was not sure whether she could compete at Zurich Main Station. Fortunately for her and the fans, she decided to give it a try. After only barely managing the initial 4.37m, she cleared 4.52m and 4.62m flawlessly. Her competition ended, however, after failing at 4.72, with a particularly narrow miss in the second attempt. In the end, Büchler placed fourth, together with Holly Bradshaw (GBR), Lisa Ryzih (GER), and Yarisley Silva (CUB).
Considering her health issues, Büchler had not expected the result: “I felt quite good – and surprisingly healthy. And the long breaks between each jump helped me recover well,” she explained and added: “My second attempt at 4.72m was close. But I was annoyed by the third. I twisted a little, which unsettled me.“
The second Swiss athlete in the field, Angelica Moser, was a little disappointed with her result (4.37m). As the bar was increased by 15cm in the beginning, she had to tackle the 4.52 early on. “I shouldn’t have focused too much on the fact that it would be my last jump,“ she commented her last failed attempt at the height. “I should have concentrated on what my coach had told me to do. But that just didn’t work today. Maybe I was not aggressive enough. The atmosphere in the arena was extremely cool, though.“
