Pole vaulter Newman setting her sights higher and higher
Commonwealth Games champ eyes Olympic gold, world record
Alysha Newman served notice to the world with her gold medalwinning pole vault in the Commonwealth Games in April.
In the process, she broke her own national record, setting a new Canadian bar of success at 4.75 metres.
For all that, it was the jubilation she displayed after landing in the mat — jumping up and down, repeatedly punching the air and completing another full somersault — that vaulted her profile to a new level.
“It was funny because a lot of people say, ‘You’re the girl that just has so much fun out there,’ and I’m like, ‘No, no, I’m just a pole vaulter,’ ” Newman said as she made the rounds in Ottawa this week to promote the upcoming Canadian track and field championships at the Terry Fox Athletic Facility on July 5-8.
“It is nice to know that people really enjoy watching me because of how much love and passion I have for the sport. I don’t just do it as a job. I do it to represent the country and I do it because I love it and that’s my motto.”
The bubbly personality certainly works as a promotional vehicle.
Even at the tail end of a few dozen interviews in Ottawa and Toronto, in French and English, over two days, Newman insisted she was happy to spread the word about Canadian athletics to as big an audience as possible.
She’s also extremely active on social media, even taking time to post a picture of herself chowing down on a Beavertail while hanging out in the ByWard Market.
At the same time, the athlete from London, is not pretending she has reached anything close to the lofty heights of star sprinter Andre De Grasse of Markham, or 800-metre standout Melissa Bishop of Eganville. Their appearances at the Canadian championships in Ottawa last season produced overflow crowds in the stands.
Newman, who turns 24 later this month, said she wouldn’t be satisfied until she was standing on top of the podium at the Olympic Games.
“I feel like I’m slowly coming up, and that’s what I hope to be one day, but as of right now, I’m a Commonwealth Games gold medallist,” she said.
“It’s a great accomplishment and something I was so proud to do for my country. But I want an Olympic gold medal and a world (championship) gold medal and I want the world record.”
That mark belongs to Russia’s Yelena Isinbayeva, who has cleared 5.06 metres.
Since winning at the Commonwealth Games, though, Newman has had something of a bumpy ride.
She finished seventh in a Diamond League event in Qatar in May with borrowed poles after Air Canada damaged her equipment during an overseas flight.
In early June, she tore a tendon in her left knee. Accordingly, she’s taking a cautious approach during recovery.
“I’ve had my first round of shots and will do another round of shots at the end of this week,” she said. “From there, we will go week to week, and my goal is to be back for the nationals.”
August and September also feature major meets on the track and field calendar, including the NACAC event in Toronto in early August plus Diamond League Finals and Continental Cup in Europe in late August and early September.
Will the Ottawa crowd see Newman at her very best in July?
“We’ll see that day, but if I’m feeling good, I may as well break another Canadian record while I’m there in front of everyone.
“It really all depends on what my coaches will think leading up to my practices the week before that meet.”
A year ago, Newman did break a national championship meet record at the Terry Fox facility, clearing 4.65 metres.
“When I came here to Ottawa in 2017, it was incredible,” she said. “I can’t believe how it was sold out, how many people were there. I’ve been to the world championships and Olympics and I’ve had packed stadiums, but that was the first time I really felt like they were jumping with me.
“I think that’s why I jumped so well. It just felt like it was home. I felt comfortable. My friends and family were there. I had to put a show on. I had no option but to do well because everyone in Canada was watching.”