SUHR Excited With a Month to Go Until Sopot

Published by IAAF on Feburary 5, 2014

As the reigning Olympic champion and world indoor record-holder, pole vaulter Jenn Suhr will head to Sopot, Poland, next month for the IAAF World Indoor Championships on 7-9 March as one of the USA’s biggest gold medal favourites.

With little more than one month to go until the biggest global athletics event of 2014, Suhr spoke to the international press in a teleconference on Tuesday (4).

Has the bad weather on the east coast of the US affected your training? How do you feel physically?

Jenn Suhr: The weather here in western New York has been atrocious. We've fought it for years and we’ve trained in a steel building, heated with propane, and that’s how I’ve learned to jump. I’ve trained that way since 2005. But this year we decided to get out of the area to the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. It’s been mostly to get out of the conditions, to get physiotherapy and to get in good shape.

My preparations have been better than they have been in the past. I've trained healthy and made so many gains physically. I’m in such good shape right now that I’m actually a little out of timing with my vault because I’m not used to the speed and strength that I have. I’m just waiting for that to match up, which it will in time, so I’m really excited for the indoor season. The last three years have been so stressful, especially in the US where you have to qualify for the team, I can’t even tell you how difficult that is. This year I’m looking forward to being able to compete without the pressure.

The last time you competed at the IAAF World Indoor Championships was 2008 when you won the silver medal. Are you looking forward to competing at another World Indoors?

JS: I’m definitely looking forward to it. I’ve only ever travelled to Europe once for an indoor competition, and that was the 2008 World Indoors. I’m definitely looking forward to travelling to Poland because I’ve not been there before.

The women’s pole vault in Sopot will be a straight final. Do you see this as an advantage?

JS: In 2008 we qualified the day before then the final was the next day. In 2012 it was a straight final, but that year I didn’t go because my achilles was sore and it was Olympic year so I didn't want to push it. I’ve never been in a major championship with no qualifying round, so I definitely see it as a positive.