Molly Caudery: “To realise the shape I’m in gets me excited”

An exclusive Q&A with British pole vaulter Molly Caudery, who has both Olympic and European ambitions in 2024

If you’re going to make a statement at the start of the season, then do it in an Olympic year.

Molly Caudery, who finished fifth in her debut world pole vault final and claimed silver at the Commonwealth Games, is already visualising the prospect of Paris 2024.

The British 23-year-old currently holds the world pole vault lead with the 4.83m she cleared at Meeting de l’Eure in Val-de-Reuil this past Sunday (January 28), a Continental Indoor Tour silver event.

Not many athletes can boast they’ve improved their personal best by eight centimetres in just a single vault, yet that’s what Caudery achieved. Her previous best mark of 4.75m was in front of 30,000 fans in the world final in Budapest.

Caudery herself states she thrives under pressure and to clear such a height in January raises eyebrows because you wonder, what could be possible this season?

Here’s AW’s exclusive Q&A with Caudery on everything from mindset and momentum to medals and memories.

What are your first feelings are vaulting 4.83m?

It’s still not sunk in. There’s such a fine line between the 4.70m – 4.80m mark so to break through that barrier and overcome that is amazing. I feel confident and I’m in great shape.

In the last year I’ve increased my personal best by 23cm! That’s such a huge leap, almost unheard of and it’s been a big breakthrough for me. I knew that the world lead was 4.83m so I thought ‘let’s give it a go’ and on the second attempt I came down with the bar still standing. It shocked me and everyone else.

I knew that I needed the next pole up to get over the next height (4.83m) and I kind of needed the next pole to put me over the next height. I hit all my marks and you can normally tell from the take off how it will go. As soon as I hit that take off I thought I could do it.

Having a good crowd made such a difference and I respond really well to the noise in the arena. It just elevates you.

To do this in an Olympic year, you must be thinking that anything is possible in this form.

I never want to take anything for granted as I’ve had my fair share of injuries. I’m just trying to take things day by day but I can’t help but get excited because I realise I’m in good shape. I want to hold on to, and maybe build a little bit, to the feeling I’ve got right now throughout the year. If so, then I’ll be in a…