Hill finishes winter season

[completemadness]

British international pole vaulter Irie Hill failed to pick up a medal at the Australian National Championships this weekend at the end of a long and tiring winter of competition. Irie, who had her first competition of the winter in December, has travelled half way around the world twice in the past 5 months as she continues her bid to obtain a World Championship qualifying performance for Paris later in the year. Despite increasing her winter overall average performances, her most pleasing aspect from the winter has been the major technical improvements that have occurred since October.

"My coach, husband Warren Hill, and I decided back in October that I really needed to learn how to vault properly if I wanted to compete on the world stage. My bronze medal at the Commonwealth Games showed me that I have the aptitude to compete at a high level, and now I needed to make that next step, which I have threatened to do since jumping 4.20m in 2000. With the help of EssxSport who supplied me with a range of new poles I have been able to stabilise my technique and begin to take this onto the bigger poles I will need to jump high. With winter now behind me I can take this onto my full run-up and even bigger poles over the next few months."

At the Australian Championships Irie finished 6th behind surprise winner Melina Hamilton of New Zealand, who won with 4.20m. Equalling that height was Rosanna Ditton of Australia, who has been the form athlete of the winter, and again was agonisingly close to jumping the World Championships qualifier of 4.30m. Third place went to Commonwealth Games Gold Medallist, Tatiana Grigorieva, who is slowly returning to form after injury robbed her of the first half of the season.

Irie also competed in the triple jump for her club at the Australian Club Championships, where she came 2nd with 10.67m.

Full results.

1. Hamilton, Melina, NZL, 4.20m;
2. Ditton, Rosanna, VIC, 4.20m;
3. Grigorieva, Tatiana, SASI, 4.10m;
4. Young, Wendy, SASI, 4.00m;
5. Chiet, Sophie, NZL, 3.80m;
6. Hill, Irie, VIC, 3.80m;
6. Young, Tracey, SA, 3.80m;
8. Lucock, Charmaine, QLD, 3.60m;
9. Miroshnichenko, Katrina, QLD, 3.60m;
--. Boyd, Alana, QLD, NH