Boyd Unable to Hit the Mark in Pole Vault Final
WAIS pole vaulter Alana Boyd competed in the women’s pole vault final on day 10 of the 2012 London Olympic Games, finishing 11thwith a best clearance of 4.30m.
In swirly conditions Boyd struggled to get into her groove and was knocked out at 4.45m after a third attempt clearance at 4.30m was the Australian record holders best mark.
Boyd’s first attempt at 4.45m was her best with the Commonwealth Games champion launching over the bar, only to clip the bar on her decent. The weather conditions played havoc with the entire field, with un-backable pre-Games favourite Yelena Isinbayeva only able to clear 4.70m on count back for third, despite having a personal best of over 5m.
The gold was won by American Jennifer Suhr on a countback at 4.75m.
Despite the weather conditions, Boyd was making no excuses for her final, admitting she never felt comfortable on the runway.
“The wind wasn’t fantastic for pole vaulting but none-the less I wasn’t able to put together the pressure jumps like I did in qualifying. I don’t know why but my jump just wasn’t solid enough,” she explained.
“I’m not happy. I really thought I could go out there and be competitive with those girls. I proved that in the domestic season I can jump heights that would be really competitive. The frustrating thing for me and my coach and my family is, it’s all there.”
Boyd who missed the final on her Olympic debut in Beijing made history then becoming the first Australian to join both parents as Olympians. At the 2010 Commonwealth Games, Boyd won gold in the pole vault joining parents Ray (pole vault, 1982) and Denise (200m, 1978) as an individual Commonwealth Games title-holder, the first time the feat has been achieved by the son or daughter of a gold medal-winning couple in Australian history.