The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Vaulter setting bar high With sights on medals
AIMING HIGH is what pole vaulting is all about, but young Montrose athlete Gregor MacLean has set his sights on securing a medal at next year’s Commonwealth Games.
The 21-year-old is Scotland’s No 1 pole vaulter and is also a Scottish senior men’s indoor and outdoor record holder, having cleared 5.35m in both disciplines in the past year to set new benchmarks.
That personal best has already surpassed the qualifying mark for Glasgow 2014, and MacLean, currently ranked fifth in the UK in the senior men’s age group, is hoping his career can come on leaps and bounds over the coming months as he seeks to improve on his incredible achievements so far.
“Although I have already achieved a 5.35m jump, which is well above the qualifying height for the Commonwealth Games, I am still aiming high for 2013,” he said.
“My first goal is to qualify for the European Under-23 Championships where I hope to medal.
“I’d also love to place in the top three in the UK, indoor and outdoor, and really work on my jumps in order to be in with serious contention to realise my ambitions of winning Scotland a medal in Glasgow in 2014 and qualifying for the next Olympics.”
Building towards that goal, MacLean didn’t quite repeat the kind of height he has previously shown at the British Championships in Birmingham earlier this month, when he jumped 5.05m, but the Montrose man was far from despondent.
“The weather in Birmingham was fantastic, over 30C, and once the pole vault pit was moved in the right direction it was an ideal tailwind,” he explained.
“The competition technically went really well and I was jumping the best I have done in over a year.
“As I didn’t plan on jumping quite as good as I did, I ended up running out of poles after the first height I cleared.
“This meant it was a real struggle for me to clear any more bars.
“I was disappointed with my height but, on the other hand, I’m delighted
with the way my jump is improving and will hopefully be able to bring the whole jump together for my next competition, the LEAP (Loughborough European Athletic Permit) later this month.”
But, while MacLean has high hopes for the years ahead, he told Courier Sport that trying to fund his efforts is threatening to scupper his future progress in the sport.
On top of travel and equipment costs, his sports club memberships amount to over £1,000 per year, meaning he has had to work in a local working men’s club in Loughborough – where he relocated to study in 2010 – to make ends meet.
MacLean was forced to take a break from his academic studies to concentrate on training for Glasgow 2014, but is having to combine work with his hectic training schedule of 30 to 35 hours per week to ensure he is in peak physical shape.
Sponsorship for the year from Expro, an international oilfield services company where his father Eric works, has helped, although MacLean hopes a lack of cash into the sport will not cost him the chance of being among Scotland’s medallists next summer.
He noted: “My main issue is that I have to work as well as train.
“I already have to work 20 to 30 hours a week at a local working men’s club to help support my athletic career and having to work this many hours on top of training 30-35 hours per week can be damaging to my recovery, therefore this sponsorship will really help towards covering the cost of competing.
“Other costs include travel to and from every competition, including overnight stays, and the purchase and upkeep of my poles, which can cost anything from £400-650 per pole.
“I currently have 13 poles so it’s definitely a drain on finances to ensure I have the most upto-date equipment.”
“If I was to get another job to support myself, it would definitely restrict my chances of performing well at the Commonwealth Games and making the Olympics in 2016, which is my main goal.”