Canada's Alysha Newman wins surprise Olympic medal in pole vault
Canada has found itself on the Olympic podium once again, this time with a surprise medal in the women’s pole vault.
30-year-old Alysha Newman entered the Olympic tournament ranked eighth in the world by World Athletics but managed to nab the bronze medal after clearing 4.85 metres.
The Delaware, Ontario, native took her performance to new heights (literally), beating her previous personal best height of 4.83 metres with her bronze medal-winning clear.
Newman also set a new Canadian record during her historic performance.
This is the attempt that won Alysha Newman her first-ever Olympic medal.
Up and over the bar at 4.85m 🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦pic.twitter.com/MiBL2j17H0
— Rob Williams (@RobTheHockeyGuy) August 7, 2024
This is the third Olympic Games that Newman has attended after Tokyo 2020 and Rio 2016 and the first medal that she has been able to win in those three attempts. In both 2016 and 2020, Newman failed to qualify for the final.
Canada has not won an Olympic pole vaulting medal in over 100 years, with its first and only medal being won by Edward Archibald at the London 1908 Games. Newman becomes the first-ever Canadian woman to medal in the event.
Australian Nina Kennedy won the gold medal after clearing 4.90 metres, while the defending Olympic champion American Katie Moon went home with the silver.
Newman’s journey to becoming a pole vaulter was not a straightforward one. She was initially a gymnast and transitioned into track and field events in her teens, particularly as a long-distance hurdle runner. It wasn’t until she was 16 that she was introduced to pole vaulting.
From then on, she became one of the country’s best-ever athletes in the sport. She became the first-ever Canadian high school girl to vault over four metres. In 2018, Newman set the Commonwealth Games record en route to winning the gold medal that year.
Though she can now add Olympic bronze medalist to her resume, Newman is also accomplished off the track, holding a bachelor’s degree from the University of Miami in exercise physiology.
Canada’s medal count grows to 19 with Newman’s bronze medal performance.