July 19, 2025 • 6 mins
New Zealand pole vaulter Olivia McTaggart has produced the performance of her career in winning the Diamond League event at London’s Olympic Stadium.
In front of a sold-out crowd of 60,000, McTaggart leapt to a new lifetime best, clearing 4.73m to claim the victory on a countback.
McTaggart joined Piney to discuss.
LISTEN ABOVE
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Weekend Sport podcast with Jason Vine
from Newstalks EDB Paul Vaulter.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
Olivia McTaggart has vaulted a personal beast overnight.
Speaker 3 (00:19):
Back to this pole ball then and the bars still
at four seventy three. Remember nobody clear out the first
attempt at all. Yes, now we have somebody over. Olivia
McTaggart at the second time of asking goes clear and
is now the competition leader here. And that is a
superb clearance for Olivia McTaggart. It's a lifetime best as
(00:41):
well in difficult conditions. Well, what a time to produce
your best ever effort.
Speaker 2 (00:47):
Absolutely four point seven to three meters for Olivia McTaggart,
two centimeters better than her previous best and good enough
to win the London Diamond League event. Olivia McTaggart is
with us. How does it for congratulations? First of all,
how does it feel to clear a new personal best
height and victory in such a big event.
Speaker 4 (01:08):
Absolutely incredible.
Speaker 5 (01:09):
Honestly, that's probably aside from World Champs obviously, but that
would be one of the competitions that's really up there
to want to excel at and to win it. Was
just even more than a cherry on top. I knew
that height has been there for a long time, but
to win the whole thing is wild. I'm so so happy.
Speaker 2 (01:27):
Did you feel like did this feel like it was
coming going into this event? I think you cleared four
to seventy one about a week ago, didn't you?
Speaker 4 (01:35):
Yeah? So four days ago.
Speaker 5 (01:36):
So I've done two seventies and four days and I
definitely saw.
Speaker 4 (01:41):
The seventy three coming.
Speaker 5 (01:42):
To be quite honest with you, I've believed in that
height for a long time and I've just stay consistent.
My training's been going amazing, so everything has really been
pointing towards these heights.
Speaker 4 (01:52):
But to do it and to win, it's just yeah,
extra little bit.
Speaker 2 (01:57):
Did you know on the way up that you were
going to clear it?
Speaker 4 (02:01):
Uh?
Speaker 5 (02:02):
Yeah, I think I knew that if I stuck to
my cues, and I knew as soon as.
Speaker 4 (02:07):
I took off that was a good takeoff.
Speaker 5 (02:08):
And then I just had to really get in the
tube upside down and then going over the bar nice
and clean. My four seventy one a few days ago
wasn't as clean. I got a little bit of bar love,
a little bit of a wobble on it, but this
was clear and I was just open the moon.
Speaker 2 (02:24):
What is that feeling like as you're over and I
mean it's only a second or two on the way down,
I know, But do you feel or what do you
feel at that moment?
Speaker 5 (02:32):
Ah?
Speaker 4 (02:33):
Yeah, I mean a lot of it.
Speaker 5 (02:35):
How I feel is what you see when I'm on
the mat, and so there's a few photos that really
encapsulate that moment.
Speaker 4 (02:41):
For me.
Speaker 5 (02:41):
I'm someone that really wears my heart on my sleeve,
and that's why I do. When I'm out there competing,
I'm my most vulnerable and kind of the most self
myself I am. So yeah, just being out there and
hitting the mat, knowing that I did that, I think
I let out a bit of a bit of a
scream saying come on.
Speaker 4 (02:58):
So yeah, it's pretty.
Speaker 2 (03:00):
Great, absolutely justified. Now I'll see you missed your first
attempt at four forty five. Were you just sort of
warming up?
Speaker 5 (03:05):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (03:05):
I was just warming off into it.
Speaker 5 (03:06):
My first attempt, I did what was called a blow through,
which means you've made the pole too soft. So it
literally just meant I did a great jump and I
just had to go up to the next pole. So
sometimes that happens, and that's just a sport.
Speaker 4 (03:17):
Of pole vault. But yeah, I was able to take
secute on that second attempt and.
Speaker 2 (03:20):
Wasn't quite wit there as well. Did I see?
Speaker 5 (03:24):
It was a little bit wet pretty much the whole
day it was raining. For a warm up, we got
pretty lucky, and then as soon as we had our
presentation it started raining again. So for my first attempts
at thirty and maybe a little bit at forty five,
it was raining, but then after that it cleared up
quite a bit.
Speaker 2 (03:40):
And just back to the to the victory itself, Olivia,
you know this is a quality field. You know, Katie
Moon's in the field, Molly Cordery, the hometown girls in
the field. To beat vaulters like that, that must be
extremely satisfying.
Speaker 4 (03:53):
Is it very satisfying?
Speaker 5 (03:55):
So I went into this competition the lowest ranked, with
the lowest PB, and I knew it was little. I
was a little bit of an underdog going into it,
but secretly I kind of like that. So to come
through and do that PB and do it on the
second attempt just goes to show that those first and
second attempts make a huge difference. So I've always known that,
but I used to be a third attempt jumper, and
now we're putting that old Livy in the grave and
(04:17):
coming out this season as a new Libby.
Speaker 2 (04:19):
So what does that look like in terms of your
preparation mental and physical, in terms of becoming a second
clearance jumper rather than leaving it till the very last attempt.
Speaker 5 (04:32):
It's taken a lot. To be quite honest with you,
I haven't. I didn't have the most amazing start to
the season. I had a thirty or forty, I had
a sixty, had a good place to jump. About two
two and a half weeks ago, I was in Paris
and after the competition I was got really emotional and
just had a bit of a cry and.
Speaker 4 (04:48):
Was like, why is this not coming together?
Speaker 5 (04:51):
I know that it's here, I know that it's coming,
but why could I not make it clicking comp and
physically I've been there one hundred percent, So it's mentally
in the last probably four competitions, I've really turned a
corner and believed myself more and just executed real commitment
in my jumps.
Speaker 2 (05:09):
Well onwards from here and the other cherry on top
of course, is this qualifies you for the World Champs
in Tokyo in September. So how big a box to
tick is that?
Speaker 5 (05:19):
Oh it's great, It's really great, to be quite honest
with you.
Speaker 4 (05:22):
We've already booked my flight brilliant. We're at that confident.
Speaker 5 (05:26):
But also I just knew i'd be in the top
I think it was thirty six girls and currently I'm
ranked twentieth, so we had to get onto that early.
But to get the I mean that's a world standard
and last time I did that was in Puta past
twenty twenty three. So yeah, it's just again just another
box tip fantastic.
Speaker 2 (05:44):
So what that's a couple of months away? So what
lies ahead for you between now and the World Champs.
Speaker 4 (05:49):
So I've got about three weeks off competitions.
Speaker 5 (05:52):
Now, I've had a good kind of stint of traveling
and being on the road and getting competitions in for
the last probably six weeks. So now a little bit
of times, just keep training through, building that consistency, working
on my jump, getting my speed, and then in August
I'll probably do four competitions all around the place, and
then we'll head into pre camp early September.
Speaker 4 (06:15):
After Tokyo.
Speaker 2 (06:16):
Fantastic news for us alt to wake up to over
here this morning. Olivia Diamond League champion and a new
PB for you of four point seventy three meters. I
know this more to come as well. Thanks so much
for chatting to us, all right, thank you so much, No,
thank you for joining us, Olivia, Olivia mctaggett. For me
to seventy three and more to come, you'd have to think.
And a winner at the Diamond League event in London overnight.
Speaker 1 (06:38):
For more from Weekend Sport with Jason Fine, listen live
to News Talk set B weekends from midday, or follow
the podcast on iHeartRadio
You're listening to the Weekend Sport podcast with Jason Vine
from Newstalks EDB Paul Vaulter.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
Olivia McTaggart has vaulted a personal beast overnight.
Speaker 3 (00:19):
Back to this pole ball then and the bars still
at four seventy three. Remember nobody clear out the first
attempt at all. Yes, now we have somebody over. Olivia
McTaggart at the second time of asking goes clear and
is now the competition leader here. And that is a
superb clearance for Olivia McTaggart. It's a lifetime best as
(00:41):
well in difficult conditions. Well, what a time to produce
your best ever effort.
Speaker 2 (00:47):
Absolutely four point seven to three meters for Olivia McTaggart,
two centimeters better than her previous best and good enough
to win the London Diamond League event. Olivia McTaggart is
with us. How does it for congratulations? First of all,
how does it feel to clear a new personal best
height and victory in such a big event.
Speaker 4 (01:08):
Absolutely incredible.
Speaker 5 (01:09):
Honestly, that's probably aside from World Champs obviously, but that
would be one of the competitions that's really up there
to want to excel at and to win it. Was
just even more than a cherry on top. I knew
that height has been there for a long time, but
to win the whole thing is wild. I'm so so happy.
Speaker 2 (01:27):
Did you feel like did this feel like it was
coming going into this event? I think you cleared four
to seventy one about a week ago, didn't you?
Speaker 4 (01:35):
Yeah? So four days ago.
Speaker 5 (01:36):
So I've done two seventies and four days and I
definitely saw.
Speaker 4 (01:41):
The seventy three coming.
Speaker 5 (01:42):
To be quite honest with you, I've believed in that
height for a long time and I've just stay consistent.
My training's been going amazing, so everything has really been
pointing towards these heights.
Speaker 4 (01:52):
But to do it and to win, it's just yeah,
extra little bit.
Speaker 2 (01:57):
Did you know on the way up that you were
going to clear it?
Speaker 4 (02:01):
Uh?
Speaker 5 (02:02):
Yeah, I think I knew that if I stuck to
my cues, and I knew as soon as.
Speaker 4 (02:07):
I took off that was a good takeoff.
Speaker 5 (02:08):
And then I just had to really get in the
tube upside down and then going over the bar nice
and clean. My four seventy one a few days ago
wasn't as clean. I got a little bit of bar love,
a little bit of a wobble on it, but this
was clear and I was just open the moon.
Speaker 2 (02:24):
What is that feeling like as you're over and I
mean it's only a second or two on the way down,
I know, But do you feel or what do you
feel at that moment?
Speaker 5 (02:32):
Ah?
Speaker 4 (02:33):
Yeah, I mean a lot of it.
Speaker 5 (02:35):
How I feel is what you see when I'm on
the mat, and so there's a few photos that really
encapsulate that moment.
Speaker 4 (02:41):
For me.
Speaker 5 (02:41):
I'm someone that really wears my heart on my sleeve,
and that's why I do. When I'm out there competing,
I'm my most vulnerable and kind of the most self
myself I am. So yeah, just being out there and
hitting the mat, knowing that I did that, I think
I let out a bit of a bit of a
scream saying come on.
Speaker 4 (02:58):
So yeah, it's pretty.
Speaker 2 (03:00):
Great, absolutely justified. Now I'll see you missed your first
attempt at four forty five. Were you just sort of
warming up?
Speaker 5 (03:05):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (03:05):
I was just warming off into it.
Speaker 5 (03:06):
My first attempt, I did what was called a blow through,
which means you've made the pole too soft. So it
literally just meant I did a great jump and I
just had to go up to the next pole. So
sometimes that happens, and that's just a sport.
Speaker 4 (03:17):
Of pole vault. But yeah, I was able to take
secute on that second attempt and.
Speaker 2 (03:20):
Wasn't quite wit there as well. Did I see?
Speaker 5 (03:24):
It was a little bit wet pretty much the whole
day it was raining. For a warm up, we got
pretty lucky, and then as soon as we had our
presentation it started raining again. So for my first attempts
at thirty and maybe a little bit at forty five,
it was raining, but then after that it cleared up
quite a bit.
Speaker 2 (03:40):
And just back to the to the victory itself, Olivia,
you know this is a quality field. You know, Katie
Moon's in the field, Molly Cordery, the hometown girls in
the field. To beat vaulters like that, that must be
extremely satisfying.
Speaker 4 (03:53):
Is it very satisfying?
Speaker 5 (03:55):
So I went into this competition the lowest ranked, with
the lowest PB, and I knew it was little. I
was a little bit of an underdog going into it,
but secretly I kind of like that. So to come
through and do that PB and do it on the
second attempt just goes to show that those first and
second attempts make a huge difference. So I've always known that,
but I used to be a third attempt jumper, and
now we're putting that old Livy in the grave and
(04:17):
coming out this season as a new Libby.
Speaker 2 (04:19):
So what does that look like in terms of your
preparation mental and physical, in terms of becoming a second
clearance jumper rather than leaving it till the very last attempt.
Speaker 5 (04:32):
It's taken a lot. To be quite honest with you,
I haven't. I didn't have the most amazing start to
the season. I had a thirty or forty, I had
a sixty, had a good place to jump. About two
two and a half weeks ago, I was in Paris
and after the competition I was got really emotional and
just had a bit of a cry and.
Speaker 4 (04:48):
Was like, why is this not coming together?
Speaker 5 (04:51):
I know that it's here, I know that it's coming,
but why could I not make it clicking comp and
physically I've been there one hundred percent, So it's mentally
in the last probably four competitions, I've really turned a
corner and believed myself more and just executed real commitment
in my jumps.
Speaker 2 (05:09):
Well onwards from here and the other cherry on top
of course, is this qualifies you for the World Champs
in Tokyo in September. So how big a box to
tick is that?
Speaker 5 (05:19):
Oh it's great, It's really great, to be quite honest
with you.
Speaker 4 (05:22):
We've already booked my flight brilliant. We're at that confident.
Speaker 5 (05:26):
But also I just knew i'd be in the top
I think it was thirty six girls and currently I'm
ranked twentieth, so we had to get onto that early.
But to get the I mean that's a world standard
and last time I did that was in Puta past
twenty twenty three. So yeah, it's just again just another
box tip fantastic.
Speaker 2 (05:44):
So what that's a couple of months away? So what
lies ahead for you between now and the World Champs.
Speaker 4 (05:49):
So I've got about three weeks off competitions.
Speaker 5 (05:52):
Now, I've had a good kind of stint of traveling
and being on the road and getting competitions in for
the last probably six weeks. So now a little bit
of times, just keep training through, building that consistency, working
on my jump, getting my speed, and then in August
I'll probably do four competitions all around the place, and
then we'll head into pre camp early September.
Speaker 4 (06:15):
After Tokyo.
Speaker 2 (06:16):
Fantastic news for us alt to wake up to over
here this morning. Olivia Diamond League champion and a new
PB for you of four point seventy three meters. I
know this more to come as well. Thanks so much
for chatting to us, all right, thank you so much, No,
thank you for joining us, Olivia, Olivia mctaggett. For me
to seventy three and more to come, you'd have to think.
And a winner at the Diamond League event in London overnight.
Speaker 1 (06:38):
For more from Weekend Sport with Jason Fine, listen live
to News Talk set B weekends from midday, or follow
the podcast on iHeartRadio
Popular Podcasts
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.