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Molly Caudalie will be world leader in pole vault with 4.85m in 2024
“I'm not a big thinker. I just want to run, jump, hope for the best and overcome hurdles.”
It's a simple strategy, but one that clearly works for pole vaulter Molly Caudalie.
The 23-year-old won the British Indoor Championships earlier this month with this year's world best jump of 4.85m, making her one of the medal favorites at this year's World Indoor Championships, which start in Glasgow. week.
The Cornish-born athlete leapt 4.86 meters in France over the weekend, surpassing that record with a jump that would have earned him a silver medal at the previous Olympics.
As many expected, Caudalie would rise to the top of the world pole vault.
However, an injury-free winter has helped the Redruss jumper rise to the top of the world rankings.
“It's a bit of pressure to be leading the world at the World Indoors to be honest, but it's really exciting,” she told BBC Radio Cornwall.
“I don't really see the pressure as a negative thing, it just kind of helps me.
“I went into the British Championships ranked No. 1 and I wanted to win and I actually won, so I think I can handle it pretty well and I hope I can do that in Glasgow.”
“Coming into this year, I was ranked in the top 10, but nowhere near the medal range, and on a good day I might have had a chance.
“But I've been jumping over 4.80 meters pretty consistently, so if I can jump 4.80 meters at the world championships, I'll definitely have a chance at a medal.”
Cordery said he was “living the dream” when he won the British title last week, but says he still can't believe how far he has come in the sport.
“Every time I play in a major championship, I think a little bit. Usually when I go out for the first time, I look up and say, “This is my dream, I'm living this, this is my life.'' “I recognize that,” she said.
“I look up at the lights and the crowd and take it all in and soak it in for a minute.”
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Cordery set a personal best of 4.85m at the British Championships earlier this month and has continued to improve since then.
And while the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow will be a big hit, it will be nothing compared to when the Olympics take place in Paris this summer.
Holly Bradshaw won bronze for Great Britain in the pole vault at the last Tokyo Olympics with a jump of 4.85 meters, one centimeter less than Cordery's new record.
Although everyone is starting to pay attention to Paris, Cordery says there's still a long way to go before we can look to emulate or even surpass Bradshaw's achievements.
“People keep asking me about the Olympics later this year, but I'm just taking it one day at a time right now. I need to get to the Olympics first,” she says.
“I know I'm doing well and I feel good. At the end of the day, I'm just fighting against myself, so if I can jump as high as I can, I have a chance of winning a medal.”
