World Indoor high jump gold medalists Cunningham, Lasitskene square off again in Birmingham

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

Vashti Cunningham made history at the 2016 IAAF World Indoor Championships by becoming the youngest athlete to win the women’s high jump title at age 18, in addition to becoming the youngest American to medal in any event at the biennial competition.

Cunningham’s opportunity Thursday at Arena Birmingham could result in an even more historic outcome, but for a different reason.

Standing in the way of Cunningham’s pursuit of consecutive championships is Russia’s Maria Lasitskene, not only the most consistent high jumper of the modern era, but the first authorized neutral athlete to capture a World Outdoor Championship gold medal.

Lasitskene, 25, has won 37 consecutive meets, the second-longest streak in the history of the event, and is a significant favorite to capture another global championship after sharing the 2014 World Indoor title in Sopot with Poland’s Kamila Licwinko, who returned to earn bronze behind Cunningham and Spain’s Ruth Beitia two years ago in Portland, Ore.

“She’s a great competitor,” Cunningham said. “But I don’t compare myself to other athletes. I do what I train to do and whatever God allows me to do. I don’t base it off anyone else or keeping anyone in mind.”

Lasitskene also won the 2015 World Outdoor title in China, but when the Russian Athletics Federation was suspended three months later by the IAAF following accusations of a state-sponsored doping program, she wasn’t allowed to jump at the 2016 Olympics after the Court of Arbitration for Sport upheld its decision to ban RusAF from competition in Rio de Janeiro.

Since Lasitskene’s application to compete as an authorized neutral athlete until Russia gains reinstatement was accepted in April, she has added 28 victories to her overall streak, which began in July 2016.

“I already missed too many tournaments since 2015. It’s enough,” Lasitskene told Athletics Weekly. “Had there been a 2016 season, maybe the results now would be different. But we accepted the situation, trained and didn’t give up.”

Lasitskene has jumped against Cunningham four times during her streak, but Thursday will be their first career meeting indoors.

Lasitskene prevailed in Diamond League meets at the Prefontaine Classic in May, along with the Muller Grand Prix in Birmingham and Hercules Meeting in Monaco in July, before she won gold at the World Outdoor Championship in London in August.

Since winning World Indoors and signing a professional contract with Nike, Cunningham has won three more national titles – two indoors – and seven of 15 meets overall. American record holder Chaunte Lowe and Lasitskene are the only athletes to win multiple competitions that Cunningham has entered in the past two years.

During that span, Lasitskene has competed in 40 meets, winning 38, along with moving ahead of two-time World Indoor champion Blanka Vlasic of Croatia for the second-longest high jump winning streak, trailing only Romania’s Iolanda Balas, who won 150 in a row from 1956-67.

“I’m not that kind of athlete who shows a big result once and we don’t see this athlete anymore,” Lasitskene told Athletics Weekly. “It’s more important for us to be consistent at a high level.”

Lasitskene’s excellence isn’t just measured in victories, but also clearing 6-6.50 (2.00m) 31 times in her career, including 22 occasions during her streak.

Cunningham’s personal best, both indoors and outdoors, is 6-6.25 (1.99m). She is trying to become the ninth American female athlete to achieve a 2.00-meter clearance.

“I think she should be able to clear 6-8 this year, but then again, I’ve always got my eyes on the world record (6-10.25). We know anything can happen on any given day, she showed that at World Indoors,” said Randall Cunningham, Vashti’s father and coach.

“I thought she was going to go over 2.00m last year, but I’m really proud of her consistency. She can come out and jump 6-4 and 6-5 every time, which is what you have to do to be one of the best jumpers in the world.”

Cunningham is tied for No. 2 in the world this year with Ukraine’s Yuliya Levchenko at 6-5.50 (1.97m), with Lasitskene clearing 6-8.25 (2.04m) on Jan. 27 at the Stalingrad Indoor Cup in Volgograd. But in order to be the best, Cunningham knows the greatest challenges in front of her are emotional and mental after placing 13th in her Olympic debut and 10th at the World Outdoor Championships.

“I’ve developed since turning pro, mentally mostly,” Cunningham said. “There’s a lot of things you don’t know until you’re really a part of it. And becoming a part of the professional sports world has matured me.”

Cunningham doesn’t feel any pressure to secure a second World Indoor medal – a feat only accomplished by Charles Austin and Lowe among American high jumpers – and doesn’t carry the weight of expectations to duplicate the magic of Portland and become the fifth female athlete to repeat as high jump champion.

At age 20 and already making a fifth international team for the U.S., Cunningham’s main motivations remain representing family and country to the best of her abilities.

“I just didn’t know what was going to happen going into the meet (in 2016), and God chose me to win and to be able to thank him,” Cunningham said. “I never thought about it like that having to do with my age. I’m young, but in my head, I’m right up there with the veterans. It just feels good to represent the USA again and be a part of an elite team.”

As for Lasitskene, she is one of seven authorized neutral athletes competing in Birmingham, but remains the most decorated and driven to excel.

“My goals are to win Birmingham, (European Outdoors in) Berlin, Diamond League and every tournament that I will compete,” Lasitskene told Athletics Weekly. “I don’t want to give anything to anyone.”