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Athletics: New UK pole vault record for Holly Bleasdale

July 4, 2024

World Junior Championships bronze medallist Holly Bleasdale has set a new UK senior national pole vault record and global best by a teenager of 4.70m at the Bauhaus Junioren Gala in Mannheim, Germany on Saturday.

Finalising her preparations ahead of the forthcoming European Under-23 Championships (14-17 July), Bleasdale, who cleared a career best – at the time - of 4.53m to win the England Athletics age group title a week ago, exceeded Kate Dennison’s previous best of 4.60m and is now ranked second-equal in the world this year at senior level.

“I had such a good day,” said Bleasdale who finished second on count back behind Germany’s Martina Strutz. “The weather conditions were perfect, it was a great atmosphere, I was feeling really great and running well and the technique I’ve been working on in training has finally been transferred into competition.

“I was so happy when I cleared 4.60m and I knew heights like 4.70m were within me but I didn’t think I could actually jump that high. I’m just so happy I can’t even put it into words; I don’t think it’s even really hit me yet. I’ve been training so hard and it’s great to know it’s paying off!”

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There were also a number of impressive performances from the Aviva Great Britain & Northern Ireland junior team on day one of the competition.

Bleasdale’s training partner Katie Byres was in equally brilliant form to her senior counterpart with victory and a new lifetime best of 4.20m in the women’s under-20 pole vault, one of six gold medals won throughout the day by the juniors.

Myra Perkins took victory in the women’s hammer with a best effort of 60.10m while Kirsten McAslan won gold in the 400m in 54.48 ahead of Amelia Clifford in third (54.74) and Lucy James in ninth (55.74).

Making it a quartet of female gold medallists, World Junior Champion Jodie Williams won her second successive Mannheim title in the 100m with 11.48 (+0.3m/s), backed up by Marilyn Nwawulor in second (11.70) and Annie Tagoe in sixth (11.91), the latter two going marginally quicker in their heats with times of 11.65 (+0.3m/s) and 11.80 (+0.2m/s) respectively.

Mica Moore finished fifth in the 100m B final with 11.98 (+1.6m/s) while in the women’s javelin, Izzy Jeffs finished fourth with a best effort of 48.47m.

Louise Hudson, Sportsister
The Women’s Sports Magazine

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