Tough night at Diamond League meet for McCartney

WELLINGTON: Eliza McCartney has had a tough night at the Herculis Diamond League meeting in the Principality of Monaco, finishing seventh in the women’s pole vault, clearing 4.75m.

She was one of eight athletes to clear 4.75m, but the next height of 4.80m was beyond the 2016 Olympic and 2018 Commonwealth Games medallist in a very deep competition. Eight athletes were still jumping with the bar at 4.80m, perhaps the first time this has happened.

The competition was won by Russian Anzhelika Sidorova, the only athlete to clear 4.85m. Yarisley Silva (Cuba) and Katerina Stefanidi (Greece) both cleared 4.80m to gain the minor placings.

The 21yearold from the North Shore of Auckland jumped 4.94m to set a New Zealand record in Jockgrim, Germany, during the week, but was unable to replicate that form in Monaco.

In her two previous Diamond League meetings in 2018, McCartney has cleared 4.85m in Eugene for second place and 4.72m for fourth in Lausanne, and now sits sixth on the overall Diamond League pole vault points table.

The next stop on the Diamond League circuit for McCar tney will be in Birmingham, UK, on August 18, and the Diamond League final for women’s pole vault will be in Zurich on 30 August.

The meeting was highlighted by a world record for Kenyan Beatrice Chepkoech, running 8:44.32 in the women’s 3000m steeplechase.