Managing to win the world title in the face of complete exhaustion has given the women’s Olympic pole vault champion renewed belief that she can dominate her event
On the outside, it looked like 2022 had been the perfect year for Katie Moon. When the American added the world pole vault title, on home soil, to the Olympic gold she had won in Tokyo, it appeared that she was riding the crest of a particularly impressive wave.
In reality, the 31-year-old was completely exhausted and even getting herself to Eugene had been an achievement in itself. Just a few months previously, an athlete accustomed to scaling great heights was “barely getting off the ground”.
The pole vault is a scary enough event even when you’re at the peak of your powers so even the smallest seeds of doubt being sown soon grow into a constricting force.
To experience the high of victory again, Moon had to win the biggest mental and physical battle of her career so far. Some huge lessons have been learned, however, and the 31-year-old is feeling fully energised as another outdoor season starts to unfold.
How difficult was last year?
It was a tough year. I am really happy with how it panned out at the World Championships but I had the post-Olympic blues that you hear other athletes talking about. I was coming off winning the biggest thing I’ve ever wanted to win and the biggest thing you can win in this sport [in 2021].
I never really took a break after that and it’s what I’d needed. I realised once I started competing again that I was just exhausted, because I never really stepped away from it. That’s what our off-season is supposed to be for – getting away from it, not just physically but emotionally and mentally as well.
It was definitely a long year. We just kind of battled through it. It was [a case] of still getting out there day after day and putting in the work, even though there were a lot of days I left practice in tears. I really didn’t vault much. During most vault sessions I was barely getting off the ground.
Katie Moon (née Nageotte) (Getty)
What did you do to rebuild the momentum?
I wish I had this secret thing that just clicked for me but it really was just showing up, even when I didn’t want to. I said to myself: “If I can’t muster it up for the US championships to make the team, if I can’t muster it up at the World Championships, then that’s my sign to maybe just hang it up. Maybe this is what it feels like when you’re done”.
I…
CLICK HERE to Read the Full Original Article at AW…