Kurtis Marschall noticed Steve Hooker win gold on the 2008 Olympics in pole vault and thought two issues. Firstly, what’s that sport? Secondly, I wish to do this.
Fourteen years later, Marschall has joined his idol Hooker in profitable back-to-back Commonwealth gold medals. He additionally had a crack at going one additional than even Hooker himself and breaking his 16-year-old Commonwealth report.
Kurtis Marschall celebrates his gold medal efficiency.Credit score:AP
Marschall had secured a second successive gold medal as soon as he had cleared 5.60 metres however determined to leap on. He cleared 5.70m together with his subsequent effort then had the bar raised to five.81m – one centimetre larger than Hooker’s mark set in Melbourne in 2006.
“It’s a fairly good feeling to begin filling the sneakers of the good man,” Marschall mentioned with a smile. “There’s nonetheless lots of work to do to shut the hole on his Australian report, I’d have appreciated taking that Commonwealth Video games report off him tonight. It’s now going to face for an additional 4 years, however you’ll be able to virtually assure that subsequent time its gone.”
“I used to be watching the 2008 Olympics. I used to be up late and went to mattress and my mum woke me up and mentioned Steve Hooker is concerning the win the gold and I mentioned ‘who is that this man? And what’s he leaping? What’s he doing?’ I used to be doing Little Athletics on the time, however I heard of this factor known as pole-vaulting and I noticed Steve go over 5.96m for the win in 2008 and that was simply mind-blowing stuff and I assumed ‘I’ve acquired to attempt that’.
“I went out in 2010 and tried it and caught with it ever since and it’s going all proper.”
Kurtis Marschall’s subsequent aim is taking Steve Hooker’s Video games report on house soil.Credit score:Getty
After a poor world championships final month within the US when he may solely clear 5.50m and missed the ultimate eight he resolved that was unacceptable and needed to redeem himself in Birmingham.
Thus, after profitable gold, he needed to chase larger heights – not solely to assert the report, however as some atonement for Eugene together with his three makes an attempt at 5.81m.
