Glasgow, United Kingdom; 3 March, 2024 – As the curtains closed on the 2024 World Athletics Indoor Championships, the spotlight turned to global medallist Kurtis Marschall, who soared to fifth place in the Men’s Pole Vault in Glasgow this morning.
Marschall (WA) added another top-five major championships finish to his 2023 World Athletics Championships bronze, soaring over 5.75m in a seesawing contest won by world record holder Armand Duplantis (Sweden) with a clearance of 6.05m.
The Australian recovered from an early miss at the opening height of 5.50m to deliver first-attempt clearances at 5.65m and 5.75m, before the progression of 5.85m to land himself in the medals proved insurmountable – finishing behind Christopher Nilsen (USA) on countback.
“I was rolling really nicely until 5.75m but I couldn’t quite line it up how I would have liked to and felt like I just didn’t have enough juice in the tank tonight,” Marschall said.
“It was still a learning experience, and it was good for me to compete and tussle and prepare for the outdoor season, and the fifth place has certainly given me some fire in the belly.”
With the podium still in sight, Marschall will now return to Australia to focus on the Chemist Warehouse Australian Athletics Championships and the Paris Olympic Games.
“We have a five week block between now and Nationals in Adelaide, so I’ll be working on getting stronger and fitter and iron out those kinks so it’s all-systems go in Adelaide.
“The goal is still to medal in Paris. Realistically we came fifth today, and there is a fair bit of work to do, knowing that a lot of those guys are going to go even higher come Paris.”
Michelle Jenneke (NSW, Bronwyn Thompson) made lightwork of her opening round, advancing in style in 7.97 for second place and an automatic qualifier, but concluded her campaign in the semi-finals. The sprint hurdler ran 8.05 for fifth place in Semi-Final 3, making in-roads ahead of the Paris Olympic Games.
The World Athletics Indoor Championships conclude today in Glasgow, United Kingdom, with the Australian team of six finishing with one gold medal, and three top-8 finishes.
Australian finalists at the 2024 World Athletics Indoor Championships:
Nicola Olyslagers (Women’s High Jump – 1st)
Jessica Hull (Women’s 3000m – 4th)
Kurtis Marschall (Men’s Pole Vault – 5th)
