Estonian pole vaulter sets new U18 world record om Skopje
Estonian athlete Ilika Inkeri Moser set a new pole vault world record for her category at the European Youth Olympic Festival Skopje, North Macedonia, clearing 4.52 meters.
"I'm very happy that I was able to jump today just the way I had envisioned it in training. I knew I would start jumping later than the others. I believed that 4.52 was possible. The jump went well technically and I felt confident – the fact that it turned out to be a world record makes the day, of course, especially special," Moser, 17, said.
This was a U18 women's world record and follows the overall Estonian women's domestic record of 4.57 set two months ago in the U.S. by Marleen Mülla, and Moser's previous PB of 4.41, set in mid-June.
Moser effortlessly cleared her opening height of 4.05 on Monday in Skopje, which already secured her a medal, as only French competitor Moana Peyrard, eventual silver medalist, had cleared that same height.
Moser then cleared 4.52, breaking Amanda Moll's (U.S.) record of 4.51 set three years ago.
Moser is coached by former decathlon star Erki Nool, who was supposed to attend the competition but was stranded in Norway early Monday morning, due to technical issues with his flight.
"I found out at 7:20 in the morning that Erki wasn't coming, and my second coach Mairo Tänak told me he wasn't there. It was quite a surprise, but I managed. It went really well. Mairo filmed my attempts, sent them to Erki, and he replied with messages or called with what I should change. Until now, I've done all competitions with Erki," Moser added.
Moser previously practiced acrobatics and only started in athletics three years ago. "I grew a bit too tall for acrobatics and then it somehow felt logical, since I liked doing sports, to continue with athletics," she told ERR last week.
"I remember how it was the summer of 2022 and I was watching the World Championships in Oregon. Karmen Bruus was competing there, and our decathletes too, and it seemed really cool to get into athletics," she added. Bruus' 1.96 in the high jump at those world championships in Oregon was also a U18 world record, and still stands, albeit shared with six other athletes.
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Editor: Andrew Whyte, Anders Nõmm
