Molly Caudery soars to 4.83m win at UK Champs

Pole vault star seals Olympic selection in Manchester as triple jumper Naomi Metzger makes great comeback from injury and Scott Lincoln continues his shot put streak

One week after breaking the British record with 4.92m in Toulouse, Molly Caudery lived up her billing as one of Britain’s brightest Olympic medal hopes in Paris as she flew over 4.83m to claim the UK title on a cool and damp day in Manchester.

The 24-year-old had a crack at trying to improve her UK record to 4.93m on Saturday (June 29) saying: “I think if there’d been no wind I’d have nailed that last jump. The jump was really lined up well, technically it was really good, I was on a good pole. But I’m very happy with where I am right now.”

Apart from the mild disappointment of finishing third in the European Championships in Rome this month, Caudery is enjoying the dream season. In March of course she won world indoor gold on home soil in Glasgow.

“I learned a lot from the European Champs disappointment but once I put it into perspective I was very happy,” she said. “I have had to force myself to review my expectations this season – coming into the season it was definitely about reaching Paris, now it is to win a medal.

“Of course the gold is the dream and after I won at the indoors I know what it is like to win but I have also experienced disappointment. Once I am out there I just focus on my jumps not on everyone else.”

Metzger back from double-surgery and take-off leg switch

Naomi Metzger has undergone surgery on her knee and a further surgery on her quad in the past year – both on her take-off leg – but bounced back literally on Saturday to win her seventh UK outdoor title and 11^th national crown in total.

The 26-year-old jumped 13.71m (0.2) to win, only five weeks after learning to take off on her ‘wrong leg’.

Temi Ojora was runner-up with 13.26m (0.7) with Lily Hulland third with 13.25m (0.8).

“I had surgery last year in my knee and just as I got going again I tore my quad,” she said. “It was all on my jumping leg too. So I switched legs and it’s really been a tight squeeze with training.”

Naomi Metzger (Getty)

On switching legs, she said: “It’s completely new to me. It’s like flipping your brain and as I’m running toward the board I’m thinking ‘make sure you take off on the right leg’.”

She added: “Christian Taylor (multiple Olympic and world champion) is the only triple jumper I know who has done…