Athletics
Day 12 of the games in Paris saw the eagerly anticipated Women’s Pole Vault Final featuring º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ’s class of New Zealanders’; Eliza McCartney, Olivia McTaggart, and Imogen Ayris.
McCartney – who spoke to º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ Sport about her hopes for the games following an injury lay-off – cleared 4.70m to finish an impressive joint 6th overall after missing out on 4.80m.
Fellow Kiwis’ McTaggart and Ayris both struck out at 4.70m with Ayris registering an excellent personal best.
On the track, alumnus Ben Pattison surged through his 800m heat in 1:45.56 to secure a place in the Semi-Final on Friday (9 August, 10:30am, live on BBC One and Discovery+). The 2023 world bronze medallist rarely looked troubled, crossing the line in first place at a canter.
Elsewhere, another º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ alumnus, Patrick Dever, missed out on the 5000m final after finishing 13th in a chaotic heat (14:13.48). Dever ran well in a race that saw an ugly coming together with four athletes hitting the floor.