Nageotte takes over world lead after impressive turnaround, Morris battles through back injury to place second

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

From no height to leave no doubt.

From season low to career all-time high.

And from minor disappointment to major achievement, Katie Nageotte completed perhaps the greatest one-week turnaround in women’s pole vaulting history Sunday at the USATF Indoor Championships.

Nageotte cleared a lifetime-best 16-1.25 (4.91m) on her first attempt, one of eight first-bar clearances she made in the competition, to not only take over the world lead but capture her first national title at Albuquerque Convention Center.

All of this after missing three attempts at 14-6.75 (4.44m) because of a box collar issue while competing Feb. 3 at the Husky Classic at the Dempsey Indoor facility in Seattle.

“I came into practices this past week just super motivated because of that no height. I think I came in more motivated than if I had done really well,” said Nageotte, an NCAA Division 2 champion at Ashland University in Ohio.

“It was really good for me to have that happen there because I got on the biggest pole I’ve ever been on in warmups because of that. I had that in the back of my head because I knew I was going to be moving fast down that runway. It’s such a fast runway, so I came in kind of prepared with that.”

Nageotte prevailed against defending U.S. indoor and outdoor champion Sandi Morris, who overcame a disc protrusion in her back to make an elimination clearance at 15-11.25 (4.86m), and world indoor record holder Jenn Suhr at 15-9.25 (4.81m) in a battle of three of the top five vaulters in the world this season.

Nageotte and Morris will have the opportunity to compete March 3 against reigning Olympic and World Outdoor champion Katerina Stefanidi of Greece at the IAAF World Indoor Championships in Birmingham, U.K.

“I wanted to win, but that wasn’t the goal (Sunday). The goal was to make the team and Katie Nageotte deserves it, honestly,” Morris said. “She triple PR’d and jumped 4.91m, which is ridiculous, so I’m so happy for her. It’s so cool to see another tier of American pole vaulters coming up in the ranks and stepping onto the world stage.”

Nageotte knew the back injury hadn’t allowed Morris to vault since Jan. 12 at UCS Spirit National Pole Vault Summit in Reno, when they also took the top two spots, only with the placing reversed. Morris wasn’t able to compete Feb. 3 at the NYRR Millrose Games, withdrawing after warmups because of her back and watching Nageotte finish second behind Stefanidi.

Despite her first loss to a fellow American since taking second to Suhr at the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials, Morris’ sincerity and respect Sunday weren’t lost on Nageotte.

“Sandi is such a sweetheart and it’s so nice to have your competitors come up and give you a hug after beating them,” Nageotte said. “It’s kind of surreal, but it’s one thing I love about the sport, you’re traveling with them, you eat your meals with them at the hotel, you spend so much time with them and in between jumps you’re chatting.

“On the runway, we all want to beat everyone, but we also understand the struggles we all go through and appreciate each other. I love the girls I get to compete with.”

Nageotte joined Morris, Suhr and all-time Russian great Yelena Isinbayeva as the only female vaulters to clear 16-1.25 indoors, with Cuba’s Yarisley Silva and Stefanidi also clearing that height outdoors.

She also took three attempts at 16-6.50 (5.04m), which would have broken Suhr’s world indoor record.

“It just didn’t feel real. I think even when I cleared 16 feet, it didn’t feel real. It still hasn’t hit me,” Nageotte said. “It’s unreal. I never thought that was going to be a thing. I mean, I did. I hoped for it, I dreamed for it, I worked for it, but to actually have that kind of realized just doesn’t feel real, it’s so cool.”

Nageotte is scheduled to vault again Feb. 25 at the All-Star Perche competition in Clermont-Ferrand, France in her final tuneup before World Indoors. Morris said she will use the two weeks before competing in Birmingham to continue to heal and train in Arkansas.

“This was a huge confidence booster,” Morris said. “I’ll see how my body reacts. I’m hoping nothing irritated that disc in my back (Sunday), I don’t think it did. I’m going to go home and regroup and get a little training in that I missed the past couple of weeks because I haven’t been training, and then go from there.”