New Zealand pole vaulter Eliza McCartney won gold at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland, after years of injuries that had left her unsure if she would ever compete again. The 29-year-old beat Australia’s Nina Kennedy in a close final at Scotstoun Stadium, with both athletes clearing 4.65 metres. McCartney was declared the winner because she cleared that height on her very first attempt, while Kennedy needed two tries.
The final was made even trickier by cold weather and a strong crosswind. Neither vaulter managed to clear the next height of 4.70 metres, so the competition came down to who had jumped most cleanly earlier on. That gave McCartney the edge and her first ever Commonwealth Games title, having previously won silver on the Gold Coast in 2018.
There was more good news for New Zealand, as fellow Kiwi Imogen Ayris won bronze with a clearance of 4.55 metres. This matched the bronze medal she had won at the last Commonwealth Games in Birmingham four years earlier. Another New Zealander, Olivia McTaggart, finished fourth after her competition ended at 4.30 metres.
The 25-year-old McTaggart looked very upset after her final attempt and stayed on the mat for a while before standing up to wave to the crowd. She had hoped to win a medal to match her brother, Cam Taggart, who had claimed silver in the men’s 88kg weightlifting a few days earlier.
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