March 7, 2025 • 10 mins
The New Zealand Track & Field Championships on this weekend in Dunedin, with a main event being the women's pole vault this afternoon.
Paris Olympic Games finalists Eliza McCartney and Olivia McTaggart are in the field after unique pole vault finals at the Olympics last year.
Olivia McTaggart joins Piney to talk about her Olympic experience, how she has adapted her approach, and how high she thinks she can go this afternoon.
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Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Weekend Sport podcast with Jason Vine
from Newstalk ZB.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Ten past two. The New Zealand Track and Field champs
on this weekend in dneed In. One of the glamour
events is the women's pole vault from four p forty
this afternoon. Paris. Olympic Games finalists Eliza McCartney and Olivia
McTaggart are in the field. After one of the more
unique pole vault finals at the Olympics last year.
Speaker 3 (00:31):
By virtue of coldback. It looks like the New Zealanders,
all three of them will be in the final because
you've got eleven that have qualified automatically because you had
eleven rather than twelve the mandatary twelve for the Olympic
final get through. Nine other athletes have qualified in addition
to those elevens, so you can have twenty in the
(00:52):
final field. And that is going to include Imaginariis who
made it at four point two and four point four
and then failed three times at four point five to five,
and Olivia McTaggart who was ditto across each of those heights.
Speaker 2 (01:07):
Yeah, quite remarkable scenes last year in the pole vault
final in Paris, Olivia McTaggart's with us. Let's start with that. Olivia,
You Eliza McCartney Imaginius all qualifying for the pole vault
final last year. How big a goal did you tick
off that day by competing in an Olympic final.
Speaker 4 (01:25):
Honestly, it's really funny because that night before the Olympic qualifier,
I wrote a diary I will be an Olympic finalist.
Speaker 5 (01:34):
I will be an Olympic finalist about.
Speaker 4 (01:35):
Ten times in my journal and so that was definitely
my biggest goal was to make the Olympic final. In
a pole volt event, you never know what's going to happen,
and this was a prime example if you didn't know
what would happen. And so we had eighteen girls go
through and I was one of them, and so I
was absolutely stoked. I didn't compete my best in the qualification,
but it got me through and that's just the way
that sport goes.
Speaker 5 (01:56):
So it's awesome.
Speaker 2 (01:57):
Indeed, well you manifested it by writing it so many
times the night before. I love it. You cleared four
sixty and finished thirteenth. It's for sixty now mark that
you feel you can you can clear quite consistently.
Speaker 4 (02:11):
I'd like to think so, Yeah, for sure, when everything's
good on the day, conditions are going smoothly and I'm
on the right poles, then for me is sixty should
be one of those heights where I get more consistently
sort of. I think it's within my top ten now
almost all of my top ten results have been for
me as sixty, So it's that height that we'd like
(02:31):
to aim for each competition and most of the time
that sort of gets you in that top field overseas,
So definitely over here in New Zealand this afternoon, that'll
be what I'm moving for.
Speaker 2 (02:40):
What are the changes that you've made in your technique,
your approach to the sport, whether it's physical or mental.
I'm not sure that that have allowed you to more
consistently reach heights like that.
Speaker 4 (02:52):
Yeah, I think one of them is we've now got
our new coach, Scott Simpson. We've been working with him
for about over a year and he's one of the best,
if not the best, technical poll Vot coach in the world,
so very lucky to have him. And what we've been
working on is my run ups, so we really want
to get that speed going. I had about five months
off due to injury the year leading into the Olympics,
and so now it's sort of just getting back on
(03:13):
that trajectory of getting faster again. Faster you are, the
bigger poles you get on, the higher you jump, So
that's been a big one. But also the way that
I run so very mechanical, very technical, and so it's
just getting that confidence back. I lost it for a
little bit there, probably a few months ago, and so
right now I feel like I'm in a much better
headspace and going in there having fun, just sort of
(03:35):
setting expectations for myself, but in the right way, with
the right mentality, and knowing that I just need to
focus on the process step by step literally.
Speaker 2 (03:45):
Indeed, how much heavier are the bigger polls or are
they not.
Speaker 4 (03:50):
They're not too much heavier, They're a little bit bigger.
And so it's called demandrule, which I guess, guess is
how sex the pole is and the flexes change as
you go through poles, which you go through about maybe
on average five five poles per competition as you get
faster and adrenaline and maybe more more wind in there.
(04:12):
So yeah, not too much heavier, a little bit but yeah,
they all feel similar.
Speaker 2 (04:18):
Enough, and in terms of the number of jumps that
you are required to take during a competition, because look,
I don't know, but it feels as though that every jump,
with every jump you take, it SAPs a little bit
more energy out of you. Or actually is that made
up because you just got more adrenaline as the height
gets higher.
Speaker 5 (04:37):
Yeah, it's a good question. It's kind of a bit
of both, to be honest.
Speaker 4 (04:40):
At my most recent competition about three weeks ago in Birmingham,
I jumped Formula sixty five, which was a great height
for me this season, season's best, and I did eleven jumps,
which is quite a lot, and it's because two of
my heights I had I used all three attempts, so
you get three attempts at each height and I just
happened to use all three of them to get on
the right pole and get moving. So ideally you'd actually
(05:03):
prefer to be doing around anywhere between six and ten,
but it depends how many heights you're doing, so again
I'll be coming in a.
Speaker 5 (05:10):
Little bit lower today. Probably around for me is thirty
five and.
Speaker 4 (05:14):
Then work through the competition, so you do fatigue a
little bit so you need take that into account, but
also it's just yeah, adrenaline when you get to the
big heights is pretty.
Speaker 2 (05:23):
Major, I bet. And we mentioned that event in Birmingham
three weeks ago four sixty five to gain second at
that event. I think you had another event before that
as well, didn't you a couple of events over in
Europe in February? So do you feel like you're coming
into the National Champs in pretty good form?
Speaker 1 (05:38):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (05:38):
Yeah, I do feel like in a pretty good form
at the moment. I've had a lot of consistency. I've
been injury free, and I think that's the main thing
for athletes, especially as we get older. You just want
to have training under your belt and no injuries. So yeah,
the first competition for me didn't go too well for
me as forty that was a big sort of mental barrier. Physically,
I'm the best I think I've ever been, if not
(06:01):
in the last few years, but mentally I was really
off and it just went to show that coming into him,
I had to change a few things mentally to make
sure that I was just in a good place and
I was enjoying it and I was having fun, and
I actually believed in myself at the end of the days,
you got to believe in yourself, and then if I'm
in good physical neck, which I am right now, both
of those put together it should be for a good
(06:22):
comp with hopefully some good conditions.
Speaker 2 (06:24):
Indeed, well, that's yeah, that's something you can't control obviously,
it's what the condition's going to be like. But I
think Daneda and it's put on a couple of quite
nice days this week by the sounds of things, so
hopefully that happens this afternoon too. You talk about not
being in a great place mentally, is that just like
a lack of confidence, just doubt that Is it that
sort of thing, or is it more as you just
reference there, just being able to relax in the heat
(06:46):
of the battle. Yeah, it's a little.
Speaker 5 (06:49):
Bit of both.
Speaker 4 (06:50):
I think last year going into Paris, it was just
all eyes on that one competition and you're almost so
tunnel visioned that Physically, I was not in a good way,
having five months off due to injury, and then I
got really.
Speaker 5 (07:01):
Sick a few weeks before Paris.
Speaker 4 (07:03):
I was probably the worst physical build up, but mentally
I was almost maybe not delusional, but.
Speaker 5 (07:08):
In a sense I was like I can do this.
Speaker 4 (07:10):
I will make the Olympic final, even though the physicality
didn't show it, even though I did. Whereas now physically
I'm in a good place and mentally it just sort
of comes down to, yeah, believing in myself, knowing that
I've got that technique in my locker and I can
bring it out when I need to. And so I
think that Birmingham comp really showed that. I guess tiger
in me. That's sort of what my coach says, We've
(07:30):
got this tiger in me. When I get to those
third attempts and I get to those big heights, they
can really bring it out. So I see a trust
that I've got it in me and make it happen.
Speaker 2 (07:38):
Love it, is there any you've been doing You've been
doing this for a while now, But is there still
any sense of trepidation? Because for meter sixty five is
a long way up. If something goes wrong, you know
up there, you know the outcome might not be that pretty.
Is there still a sense of trepidation or are you
past that now?
Speaker 5 (07:58):
I think I'm past that now.
Speaker 4 (08:00):
Those fights excite me and I know what holes I
need to be on. I know all of the sort
of most of the strictygy planning that goes into into
those jumps, and there's a lot of feel to it.
So the more i've been doing Polvold, I'm, you know,
just past ten years now, the more you know how
to bail out of a jump if it's going to
be dangerous or you sort of just like steel it
(08:22):
out and so it's not as dangerous and you're not
really hopefully not going to be going in some weird
directions when you're up that high. It's more you're either
getting it or you're not, or you're on the right
pole or you're not where the stands how far are
you bringing them in? So it's a lot of trust
in the coach and a lot of trust in myself.
But we're really lucky we've got James Stain, he's one
of the athletes competing, and then also my coach will
(08:44):
be calling in from the UK, so we've got some
good backing outstanding.
Speaker 2 (08:48):
It's like coming up two years since you jump your
PB four seventy one in Auckland in March of twenty
twenty three. How high you reckon you can go? Can
you you reckon you can jump four seventy five for eighty.
Speaker 5 (08:59):
Yeah, yeah, one hundred percent, And I love that right now.
Speaker 4 (09:02):
I was able to say that with one hundred percent
certainty because you'd asked me a few.
Speaker 5 (09:07):
Months ago it might have been a different question.
Speaker 4 (09:09):
But I really back myself now to be getting into
those heights. I know, you know the polls and everything
I need to be on and it's just bringing everything
together on the day. So whether that happens when I'm
overseas again this year, it would be great for that
to happen at Japan's World Champs at the end of
the year, though.
Speaker 2 (09:24):
Absolutely so following this weekend in Dunedin. What does the
path forward look like for you? Obviously World champs are
a focus of yours. What are the other big events
for you in twenty twenty five?
Speaker 4 (09:37):
I mean, to be honest, it's just putting together a
successful campaign plan. So it's going to be probably anywhere
between seven and ten competitions leading into the World Championships
in Tokyo, and we're making sure that each one of
them is actually having a purpose to lead towards the
World Championships. Some of them will be fun, some of
them it's for money, some of them. It's for just
that higher quality fields and so I'd really love to
(10:00):
get back into some diamond leagues.
Speaker 5 (10:02):
That's a big goal for.
Speaker 4 (10:02):
Me this year, and then that'll prep me really well
for the big crowds in Tokyo.
Speaker 2 (10:08):
Have you committed to the next Olympic cycle?
Speaker 4 (10:11):
Yeah, one hundred percent. Yeah, committed to twenty twenty eight. Yeah,
it's one of those sports where you can be a
little bit older, so who knows, maybe even thirty two.
We'll just take it one step at a time.
Speaker 2 (10:22):
Yeah, let's get Let's get twenty twenty eight out of
the way first, and then we can go, we can
go beyond that. Olivia, is such a delight to catch
up with you all the best and toned in this
weekend and look forward to seeing what the rest of
this year holds for you. Awesome, Thank you very much,
Thanks for joining us, Olivia, Olivia mctaggartt they're part of
an exciting women's pol vault field, including her fellow Olympia
and Eliza McCartney. Four forty this afternoon for
Speaker 1 (10:45):
More from Weekend Sport with Jason Fine, listen live to
News Talk sed B weekends from midday or follow the
podcast on iHeartRadio,
You're listening to the Weekend Sport podcast with Jason Vine
from Newstalk ZB.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Ten past two. The New Zealand Track and Field champs
on this weekend in dneed In. One of the glamour
events is the women's pole vault from four p forty
this afternoon. Paris. Olympic Games finalists Eliza McCartney and Olivia
McTaggart are in the field. After one of the more
unique pole vault finals at the Olympics last year.
Speaker 3 (00:31):
By virtue of coldback. It looks like the New Zealanders,
all three of them will be in the final because
you've got eleven that have qualified automatically because you had
eleven rather than twelve the mandatary twelve for the Olympic
final get through. Nine other athletes have qualified in addition
to those elevens, so you can have twenty in the
(00:52):
final field. And that is going to include Imaginariis who
made it at four point two and four point four
and then failed three times at four point five to five,
and Olivia McTaggart who was ditto across each of those heights.
Speaker 2 (01:07):
Yeah, quite remarkable scenes last year in the pole vault
final in Paris, Olivia McTaggart's with us. Let's start with that. Olivia,
You Eliza McCartney Imaginius all qualifying for the pole vault
final last year. How big a goal did you tick
off that day by competing in an Olympic final.
Speaker 4 (01:25):
Honestly, it's really funny because that night before the Olympic qualifier,
I wrote a diary I will be an Olympic finalist.
Speaker 5 (01:34):
I will be an Olympic finalist about.
Speaker 4 (01:35):
Ten times in my journal and so that was definitely
my biggest goal was to make the Olympic final. In
a pole volt event, you never know what's going to happen,
and this was a prime example if you didn't know
what would happen. And so we had eighteen girls go
through and I was one of them, and so I
was absolutely stoked. I didn't compete my best in the qualification,
but it got me through and that's just the way
that sport goes.
Speaker 5 (01:56):
So it's awesome.
Speaker 2 (01:57):
Indeed, well you manifested it by writing it so many
times the night before. I love it. You cleared four
sixty and finished thirteenth. It's for sixty now mark that
you feel you can you can clear quite consistently.
Speaker 4 (02:11):
I'd like to think so, Yeah, for sure, when everything's
good on the day, conditions are going smoothly and I'm
on the right poles, then for me is sixty should
be one of those heights where I get more consistently
sort of. I think it's within my top ten now
almost all of my top ten results have been for
me as sixty, So it's that height that we'd like
(02:31):
to aim for each competition and most of the time
that sort of gets you in that top field overseas,
So definitely over here in New Zealand this afternoon, that'll
be what I'm moving for.
Speaker 2 (02:40):
What are the changes that you've made in your technique,
your approach to the sport, whether it's physical or mental.
I'm not sure that that have allowed you to more
consistently reach heights like that.
Speaker 4 (02:52):
Yeah, I think one of them is we've now got
our new coach, Scott Simpson. We've been working with him
for about over a year and he's one of the best,
if not the best, technical poll Vot coach in the world,
so very lucky to have him. And what we've been
working on is my run ups, so we really want
to get that speed going. I had about five months
off due to injury the year leading into the Olympics,
and so now it's sort of just getting back on
(03:13):
that trajectory of getting faster again. Faster you are, the
bigger poles you get on, the higher you jump, So
that's been a big one. But also the way that
I run so very mechanical, very technical, and so it's
just getting that confidence back. I lost it for a
little bit there, probably a few months ago, and so
right now I feel like I'm in a much better
headspace and going in there having fun, just sort of
(03:35):
setting expectations for myself, but in the right way, with
the right mentality, and knowing that I just need to
focus on the process step by step literally.
Speaker 2 (03:45):
Indeed, how much heavier are the bigger polls or are
they not.
Speaker 4 (03:50):
They're not too much heavier, They're a little bit bigger.
And so it's called demandrule, which I guess, guess is
how sex the pole is and the flexes change as
you go through poles, which you go through about maybe
on average five five poles per competition as you get
faster and adrenaline and maybe more more wind in there.
(04:12):
So yeah, not too much heavier, a little bit but yeah,
they all feel similar.
Speaker 2 (04:18):
Enough, and in terms of the number of jumps that
you are required to take during a competition, because look,
I don't know, but it feels as though that every jump,
with every jump you take, it SAPs a little bit
more energy out of you. Or actually is that made
up because you just got more adrenaline as the height
gets higher.
Speaker 5 (04:37):
Yeah, it's a good question. It's kind of a bit
of both, to be honest.
Speaker 4 (04:40):
At my most recent competition about three weeks ago in Birmingham,
I jumped Formula sixty five, which was a great height
for me this season, season's best, and I did eleven jumps,
which is quite a lot, and it's because two of
my heights I had I used all three attempts, so
you get three attempts at each height and I just
happened to use all three of them to get on
the right pole and get moving. So ideally you'd actually
(05:03):
prefer to be doing around anywhere between six and ten,
but it depends how many heights you're doing, so again
I'll be coming in a.
Speaker 5 (05:10):
Little bit lower today. Probably around for me is thirty
five and.
Speaker 4 (05:14):
Then work through the competition, so you do fatigue a
little bit so you need take that into account, but
also it's just yeah, adrenaline when you get to the
big heights is pretty.
Speaker 2 (05:23):
Major, I bet. And we mentioned that event in Birmingham
three weeks ago four sixty five to gain second at
that event. I think you had another event before that
as well, didn't you a couple of events over in
Europe in February? So do you feel like you're coming
into the National Champs in pretty good form?
Speaker 1 (05:38):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (05:38):
Yeah, I do feel like in a pretty good form
at the moment. I've had a lot of consistency. I've
been injury free, and I think that's the main thing
for athletes, especially as we get older. You just want
to have training under your belt and no injuries. So yeah,
the first competition for me didn't go too well for
me as forty that was a big sort of mental barrier. Physically,
I'm the best I think I've ever been, if not
(06:01):
in the last few years, but mentally I was really
off and it just went to show that coming into him,
I had to change a few things mentally to make
sure that I was just in a good place and
I was enjoying it and I was having fun, and
I actually believed in myself at the end of the days,
you got to believe in yourself, and then if I'm
in good physical neck, which I am right now, both
of those put together it should be for a good
(06:22):
comp with hopefully some good conditions.
Speaker 2 (06:24):
Indeed, well, that's yeah, that's something you can't control obviously,
it's what the condition's going to be like. But I
think Daneda and it's put on a couple of quite
nice days this week by the sounds of things, so
hopefully that happens this afternoon too. You talk about not
being in a great place mentally, is that just like
a lack of confidence, just doubt that Is it that
sort of thing, or is it more as you just
reference there, just being able to relax in the heat
(06:46):
of the battle. Yeah, it's a little.
Speaker 5 (06:49):
Bit of both.
Speaker 4 (06:50):
I think last year going into Paris, it was just
all eyes on that one competition and you're almost so
tunnel visioned that Physically, I was not in a good way,
having five months off due to injury, and then I
got really.
Speaker 5 (07:01):
Sick a few weeks before Paris.
Speaker 4 (07:03):
I was probably the worst physical build up, but mentally
I was almost maybe not delusional, but.
Speaker 5 (07:08):
In a sense I was like I can do this.
Speaker 4 (07:10):
I will make the Olympic final, even though the physicality
didn't show it, even though I did. Whereas now physically
I'm in a good place and mentally it just sort
of comes down to, yeah, believing in myself, knowing that
I've got that technique in my locker and I can
bring it out when I need to. And so I
think that Birmingham comp really showed that. I guess tiger
in me. That's sort of what my coach says, We've
(07:30):
got this tiger in me. When I get to those
third attempts and I get to those big heights, they
can really bring it out. So I see a trust
that I've got it in me and make it happen.
Speaker 2 (07:38):
Love it, is there any you've been doing You've been
doing this for a while now, But is there still
any sense of trepidation? Because for meter sixty five is
a long way up. If something goes wrong, you know
up there, you know the outcome might not be that pretty.
Is there still a sense of trepidation or are you
past that now?
Speaker 5 (07:58):
I think I'm past that now.
Speaker 4 (08:00):
Those fights excite me and I know what holes I
need to be on. I know all of the sort
of most of the strictygy planning that goes into into
those jumps, and there's a lot of feel to it.
So the more i've been doing Polvold, I'm, you know,
just past ten years now, the more you know how
to bail out of a jump if it's going to
be dangerous or you sort of just like steel it
(08:22):
out and so it's not as dangerous and you're not
really hopefully not going to be going in some weird
directions when you're up that high. It's more you're either
getting it or you're not, or you're on the right
pole or you're not where the stands how far are
you bringing them in? So it's a lot of trust
in the coach and a lot of trust in myself.
But we're really lucky we've got James Stain, he's one
of the athletes competing, and then also my coach will
(08:44):
be calling in from the UK, so we've got some
good backing outstanding.
Speaker 2 (08:48):
It's like coming up two years since you jump your
PB four seventy one in Auckland in March of twenty
twenty three. How high you reckon you can go? Can
you you reckon you can jump four seventy five for eighty.
Speaker 5 (08:59):
Yeah, yeah, one hundred percent, And I love that right now.
Speaker 4 (09:02):
I was able to say that with one hundred percent
certainty because you'd asked me a few.
Speaker 5 (09:07):
Months ago it might have been a different question.
Speaker 4 (09:09):
But I really back myself now to be getting into
those heights. I know, you know the polls and everything
I need to be on and it's just bringing everything
together on the day. So whether that happens when I'm
overseas again this year, it would be great for that
to happen at Japan's World Champs at the end of
the year, though.
Speaker 2 (09:24):
Absolutely so following this weekend in Dunedin. What does the
path forward look like for you? Obviously World champs are
a focus of yours. What are the other big events
for you in twenty twenty five?
Speaker 4 (09:37):
I mean, to be honest, it's just putting together a
successful campaign plan. So it's going to be probably anywhere
between seven and ten competitions leading into the World Championships
in Tokyo, and we're making sure that each one of
them is actually having a purpose to lead towards the
World Championships. Some of them will be fun, some of
them it's for money, some of them. It's for just
that higher quality fields and so I'd really love to
(10:00):
get back into some diamond leagues.
Speaker 5 (10:02):
That's a big goal for.
Speaker 4 (10:02):
Me this year, and then that'll prep me really well
for the big crowds in Tokyo.
Speaker 2 (10:08):
Have you committed to the next Olympic cycle?
Speaker 4 (10:11):
Yeah, one hundred percent. Yeah, committed to twenty twenty eight. Yeah,
it's one of those sports where you can be a
little bit older, so who knows, maybe even thirty two.
We'll just take it one step at a time.
Speaker 2 (10:22):
Yeah, let's get Let's get twenty twenty eight out of
the way first, and then we can go, we can
go beyond that. Olivia, is such a delight to catch
up with you all the best and toned in this
weekend and look forward to seeing what the rest of
this year holds for you. Awesome, Thank you very much,
Thanks for joining us, Olivia, Olivia mctaggartt they're part of
an exciting women's pol vault field, including her fellow Olympia
and Eliza McCartney. Four forty this afternoon for
Speaker 1 (10:45):
More from Weekend Sport with Jason Fine, listen live to
News Talk sed B weekends from midday or follow the
podcast on iHeartRadio,
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