'I expected a lot more from myself,' pole vaulter Newman says of placing 5th at worlds
Canadian-record holder clears 4.80m, Anzhelika Sidorova wins in year-leading 4.95
Alysha Newman cleared 4.80 metres to threaten her Canadian record but was kept off the pole vault podium for the second time in as many trips to the track and field world championships.
The 25-year-old missed all three of her attempts at 4.85 on Sunday and finished fifth at Khalifa International Stadium in Doha, Qatar. Newman broke her national mark for a third time this season with a 4.82 jump at the Meeting de Paris on Aug. 24.
In an interview with CBC Sports' Scott Russell after Sunday's competition, Newman said she isn't mad and posting the second highest jump of her 10-year career is something to be proud of.
"I just expected a lot more from myself today," she added.
WHAT A CRAZY NIGHT OF COMPETITION!🔥🔥🔥<br>I had to take a breath last night, surrounded myself with friends and family before I got to down on myself. I wasn’t upset about my height, I was upset about the little mistake I made during the meet!<br>However, I… <a href="https://t.co/b2JNsI3gN3">https://t.co/b2JNsI3gN3</a> <a href="https://t.co/HsRXtivc4I">pic.twitter.com/HsRXtivc4I</a>
—@alysha_newman94Newman, who cleared 4.65 to finish seventh at her worlds debut in 2017 at London, opened Sunday's competition with a miss on her first attempt at 4.50 before clearing 4.70 on the first try. She was successful at 4.80 on her second attempt.
"I started off pretty rocky so I think it got in my head a little bit," Newman said. "I need to mature about that stuff and just keep going."
WATCH | Alysha Newman clears 4.80 metres at world championships:
Newman arrived at worlds feeling the "healthiest and strongest" she has in a long time and looked forward to pushing 4.90 or five metres.
"If I can finish with a 4.90 at worlds and enter next year jumping 4.80 and go for 4.95 and five metres, I'm going to jump five metres at the Olympics [next summer]," she told CBC Sports recently.
WATCH | Newman: 'Tokyo Olympics is something to work towards'
3rd in world rankings
The London, Ont.-born athlete enjoyed a healthy season after missing much of 2018 with a partial tear of the left patellar tendon, which attaches the bottom of the kneecap to the top of the shinbone.
Newman entered worlds ranked third in the world after beating reigning Olympic champion Katerina Stefanidi of Greece for her first Diamond League victory with a 4.82 showing at the Meeting de Paris on Aug. 24.
WATCH | Newman jumps personal-best 4.82m in Paris:
Her opponents began to take notice of her progress after that event while Newman enjoyed striking fear into her opponents with her improved performance.
"I go to events now, people have seen what I've done, see what I'm capable of and they're scared," she said earlier this month. "That's how I felt looking at Katerina, Sandi [Morris] and [Anzhelika] Sidorova. I knew if they were on their game, they would win every time."
Sidorova was on her game Sunday, clearing 4.95 on her third and final attempt to upend 2017 world champion Stefanidi and top American Jenn Suhr's season-leading mark of 4.91. She is one of 29 Russians competing as neutral athletes at these worlds.
WATCH | Anzhelika Sidorova wins world title with year-leading 4.95 metres
Sidorova competed in a muted blue uniform. Her neutral status, awarded by track's governing body after vetting of her drug-test record, allows her to compete internationally unlike most Russians but bans her from displaying any national symbols.
Track has taken the strongest line of any major federation against Russian doping, though Russia's harshest critics would favour a ban against all Russian athletes.
Morris of the United States and Stefanidi rounded out the podium with season bests of 4.90 and 4.85, respectively.
CBC Sports has exclusive live coverage of the 2019 World Track & Field Championships from Sept. 27-Oct. 6. Visit the stream and broadcast schedule, You can also add the complete event schedule to your calendar.
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