The third time was a charm for pole vaulter Alysha Newman.
The Canadian set a personal best and national record with a vault of 4.85 metres to win an improbable Olympic bronze medal on Wednesday at Paris 2024.
Competing in her third Olympics, Newman hadn’t even reached a Summer Games final before Paris.
It is Canada’s 19th medal in Paris and the country’s first-ever Olympic medal in women’s pole vault.
Newman secured a medal when Switzerland’s Angelica Moser missed at 4.90 metres after passing on her third and final attempt at 4.85. The Canadian was quite close on two of three attempts on 4.90 metres, but couldn’t keep the bar up.
There was a lengthy delay before her third attempt because of a technical issue with the bar. An official apologized to Newman during the break before she ended up bringing down the bar again.
Newman, 30, missed once at 4.60 metres after she lost her grip on the pole and also missed her first attempt at 4.85 metres.
Five women cleared 4.80 metres and battled for the medals.
Australia’s Nina Kennedy and American Katie Moon were the last two standing in the bid for gold.
Newman qualified for her first career Olympic final on Monday when she cleared 4.55 metres.
The London, Ont., native was tied for sixth in the world rankings this season with a top height of 4.83 metres (her previous personal best) entering Paris.
Nineteen women qualified for the final, well up from the minimum 12. Nine women cleared 4.40 metres and opted not to go higher, leading to the expanded field.
Newman has battled injuries throughout her career, including an ankle injury that kept her out of this year’s world indoor championships.
The Canadian won gold at the 2018 Commonwealth Games and bronze at the 2019 Pan American Games.
