McCartney just wants to have fun
For once Kiwi pole vault star Eliza McCartney and master coach Jeremy McColl beg to differ.
McCartney is simply having too much fun to rein in her competitive schedule just yet; and the technical mastermind behind the Auckland 20-year-old’s remarkable rise in the sport is anxious not to overload the youngster at this stage of a season that will have its apex in August at London’s world championships.
At the crux of their divergent viewpoints is McCartney’s mooted participation at the Australian championships (March 26-April 2 in Sydney) to conclude the domestic summer season. McCartney feels it’s an event that will offer just the novelty she needs as she continues to tick off the desired improvements in her vaulting.
Given she is fresh off an Oceania and New Zealand allcomers record leap of 4.82m to provide the crowning moment to Sunday’s Auckland Track Challenge at the AUT Millennium track, it’s easy to understand McCartney’s eagerness to keep competing.
Last Wednesday, at a tricky purpose-built indoors venue in the atrium at downtown Auckland’s Britomart, the Olympic bronze medallist ticked off 4.70m which at the time was her PB on the shortened 12-stride runup she is using over the domestic season.
It’s a walk-before-you-run scenario, with McCartney and her coach understanding the need to master the pared-back runup before they introduce the 16-stride attack they’re confident will take her to even bigger heights later this year.
To then go 2cm better than her previous PB and the height she cleared to claim that memorable Olympic bronze medal in Rio last year in ideal conditions on Sunday has the North Shore athlete ideally placed to achieve some special things when the season hits the big meets of the northern hemisphere.
Though that’s where it now gets interesting. McColl tagged McCartney 4.82m clearance as ‘‘the best technical jumping Eliza has ever done’’, and he then made it clear he was taking the long-term view about what lies ahead.
‘‘We’ve still got the Auckland champs [next weekend], the nationals [in Hamilton March 17-19], and we’ll make a call on the Australian champs.
‘‘I don’t really want to extend the season too long because she needs to get into her preparation for the worlds. But there will be at least another two meets in New Zealand.’’
McCartney, though, indicated she was keen to head to Sydney to wind down her domestic season.
‘‘It’s a good competition, with new people to compete against which is good. As much as I love my training group it’s always us competing against each other, and the Australians is a good one to go against some different people over there.’’
She also made it clear she is assuredly only scratching the surface of where she can get to, given her tender years and relative inexperience in an event that requires so many technical components.
‘‘Because I’m young, there’s still speed to work on, still technique to work on and still strength to work on. We’ve definitely seen improvement in my speed and strength so that’s going to help a lot and my technique is still improving.
‘‘I feel like it’s heading in the right direction. I’m just really excited for the rest of the year. It will be good to finish off the domestic season well, but it’s really the European season and world champs that will be the big one.’’
To that end, McColl feels like the next plateau of a 4.90m clearance is well within reach. ‘‘I think her 4.82 jump would have cleared 4.90,’’ said McColl after McCartney misfired on all three shots at 4.90 on Sunday. ‘‘Her first attempt was bigger but she just didn’t have the right movement forward on the pole. She has got 4.90 in her.
‘‘She has been seeing it in training, so it’s not a new height to her.’’
Bigger and better looks imminent.