Vaulter at top of his game

AUSTRALIAN pole vault gold medal chance Kurtis Marschall is intrigued to see “which Shawn Barber’’ shows up at Carrara Stadium tomorrow night.

Canadian Barber took the short, back and sides to Commonwealth Games pole vault medal calculations by bringing the best height of 2018 to the Gold Coast.

Barber, a 2015 world champion, made a clearance at 5.92m, outdoors in Texas, on March 31 in his last competition before he flew out for the Games for Thursday’s final.

It was 12cm higher than South Australian Marschall’s previous world-leading outdoor jump of 2018, which he landed in Perth in January.

But Barber no-heighted at the world indoors early last month, a competition in which Marschall placed fourth with 5.80m to be Australia’s best performer at the meet in Birmingham, England.

“The main medal chances will probably include Shawn Barber, but he is a bit sporadic, so you never know which Shawn Barber is going to show up,’’ Marschall, 20, said.

“Hopefully Big Dog Shawn Barber shows up and gives us a good challenge.’’

Marschall placed seventh and Barber eighth at last year’s world titles in London.

“Conditions on the night will have a huge bearing on the competition – crosswinds can have an impact and most of them coming to Australia haven’t jumped much if at all outdoors this season,’’ Marschall said.

“But if you have a huge tailwind, things can go really well.

“I’ve learnt some tactics from some bad-conditions competitions, including the one in Brisbane (on March 28).

“I’ll make sure I’ll be focused on the conditions the whole time, watching the wind sock and the bar.

“The conditions will even out the field. It’s a straight final so we don’t have any chances to screw around.’’

Another Australian, Declan Carruthers, who had a season best of 5.55m, yesterday withdrew from the Games because of a hamstring strain, leaving Marschall and Angus Armstrong as the two home-nation representatives.

Marschall, women’s vault champion Nina pole Ken- nedy, former world discus champion Dani Stevens and javelin thrower Kathryn Mitchell are a crop of gold medal chances to add to the two walking titles won on Sunday by Dane Bird-Smith and Jemima Montag.

“The field eventers are probably the stronger side rather than the track athletes, who have the Caribbean sprinters and the African distance runners in their events,’’ Marschall said. “The facilities and the coaching we have.

“But (national 200m women’s champion) Riley Day is killing it and our men sprinters have been doing well.’’