World indoor pole vault champion Molly Caudery was inconsolable after a disastrous performance on Monday saw her fail to qualify for the Olympic final in Paris.
The 24-year-old Briton who was tipped for a medal skipped the two opening qualifying rounds at 4.20 metres and 4.40m, instead opting to come in at 4.55m.
But Caudery’s Olympic dreams were left in ruins as she failed in her three attempts at that height, far from the world-leading 4.92m she vaulted in Toulouse in June.
Caudery crumbled to the track in floods of tears and was consoled by teammate and Tokyo Olympic bronze medallist Holly Bradshaw, who herself had gone out at the 4.40m mark.
Caudery was at a loss to explain what had gone following her dramatic exit. “I’m shocked,” Caudery told reporters.
“So disappointed and I’m so sorry to everyone at home; I didn’t have any excuse.
“Best shape of my life. I love big crowds. I didn’t feel overly nervous. I don’t have a reason right now for what just happened.”
While Caudery’s decision to forgo the earlier qualifying heights might have looked questionable in hindsight, the Briton said she had been comfortably clearing heights of 4.55m in training on a regular basis.
“I’m above 4.55, day-in, day-out,” she said. “I’ve been jumping 4.84, 4.90 all year round. So 4.55 shouldn’t be a problem.
“It was just a really unfortunate day. And I’ll go and talk to my coach after this and we’ll kind of figure out what went wrong.”
Caudery’s exit is a boost for Australia’s Nina Kennedy who qualified for the final after clearing 4.40m and 4.55m on her first attempt on both heights.
Kennedy was asked in the media mixed zone after the qualification round what she made of the results.
“In the Olympic final, where you win medals, you have to get there,” Kennedy said.
“The build-up is the hardest part, the qualifying is one of the hardest parts. You’ve got to respect the journey, you’ve got to respect the process. I’ve left no stone unturned and people have fallen by the wayside. It’s all part of it.”
British Tokyo bronze medallist Holly Bradshaw missed all three attempts at 4.40m to miss out.
The final will be held at 3amk on Thursday.
Source Agencies
