By Chang-Ran Kim
TOKYO (Reuters) – American Katie Moon became the first woman to win a third consecutive world pole vault title on Wednesday when she cleared a season’s best 4.90 metres to edge out compatriot Sandi Morris in a nail-biting contest.
Morris, the Rio Olympic silver medallist from 2016, collected a fourth world silver after clearing 4.85m, while Slovenia’s Tina Sutej took bronze with 4.80m.
The battle for gold looked to be between Moon and Morris from the early stages, the two Americans being alone in clearing the first three heights up to 4.75m on their first attempts. Only two others in the field eventually cleared it.
Morris, 33, gave Moon a run for her money in the absence of Australian Nina Kennedy, the Paris Olympic gold medallist who pulled out days before the worlds due to a leg injury. Kennedy shared the last world championship gold with Moon in Budapest.
“It was incredible, it was such a battle,” said Moon. “I kept telling myself I would need to jump over 4.90m to win. I knew Sandi was in a good shape. I am just happy and relieved it ended up the best for me.”
The 34-year-old Moon, beaten by Morris at this year’s U.S. Championships, also won gold at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics in the same National Stadium venue.
“All my medals are special but this one is the one. The older you get, it gets harder,” she said.
With the first four heights cleared at the first attempt, Moon got the advantage on Morris, only to have the tables turned when Morris raised the bar to 4.85m and immediately cleared it.
After failing on her first attempt at that height, Moon went all or nothing by taking her next attempt at 4.90m, which she managed on her final attempt.
Morris failed twice at 4.90m, and with a last hail-mary attempt at 4.95m to end up the bridesmaid once again.
Moon had an attempt at the 5.01m championship record set by Russia’s Yelena Isinbayeva in 2005, but ran through and decided to celebrate her win.
(Reporting by Chang-Ran Kim; Editing by Kevin Liffey and Ed Osmond)
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