Canada's Alysha Newman won bronze in pole vault Wednesday, earning the country's first medal in the women's event and setting a national-record height in the process.
Newman cleared a height of 4.85 meters, a national record and personal best. She settled for bronze after she couldn't clear over 4.9 meters. Newman and the U.S.'s Katie Moon both were unable to clear 4.9 meters, but Moon claimed silver since Newman had one more missed attempt than the American. Australia's Nina Kennedy won gold after clearing 4.9 meters.
HISTORIC medal for @alysha_newman94 in #polevault at #Paris2024 🥉#MedalMoments presented by @petrocanada pic.twitter.com/ynDKACAhEg
— CBC Olympics (@CBCOlympics) August 7, 2024
Newman's bronze is Canada's third pole vault medal in Olympic history, and the country's first since William Halpenny won bronze in the 1912 Olympics in Stockholm.
This is Newman's third Olympics and her first time making the final after qualifying seventh. She previously missed the qualification height at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics and failed to take off on any of her jumps at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics due to a concussion.
