Holly and Molly-a sad tale

This is Stuart Weir’s piece on the surprise early departures from the pole vault by WL Molly Caudery and Olympic bronze medalist Holly Bradshaw. On the broadcast, I did not believe it when I saw it. But it happens in sport. 

Holly and Molly – a sad tale

The women’s pole vault qualifying ended the Olympic career of one GB athlete and the medal hopes of another.

Holly Bradshaw has had a magnificent career.  I will never forget her Olympic bronze in Tokyo three years ago.  2022 was a year full of promise that had ended before it had really begun. In the warm-up at the world championship in Oregon, Holly was preparing for a routine practice vault when a pole snapped, causing her to fall awkwardly and seriously injure her back – effectively ending the season. She announced that the Paris Olympics was her target and 2024 would be her final competitive season. She also split from long-term coach Scott Simpson and was self-coached with help from Kate Rooney. She did a Master’s degree, writing a dissertation on the attitudes of elite athletes. She made statements like not liking the person elite sport had made her. She spoke openly about fulfilling her ambition and Tokyo of becoming an Olympic medalist and then suffering a deeply lethargic, depressive  “Olympic Blues”.

In Paris she came in at 4.20 but then failed 4.40, commenting: “It’s not the ending I wanted but in life you don’t always get what you deserve. I think I’m just a bit crushed. I have struggled all year with a niggly achilles and my team have done an amazing job to get me pain free and today was the first comp or training session I have been completely pain free, I think with what happens in pole vault I was on the back foot, I was on too soft a pole, had a bit of a flirty wind which with a better build up I would brush off, but I just got caught out with a few tech and tactical decisions. I felt really good, its only taken 4:40 to make the final and I am well worth that at the minute”.

Molly Caudery came to Paris full of hope and expectation, with a PR of 4.92 set this year and as 2024 World Indoor Champion.  She was the last athlete to enter the competition, at 4.55, higher than that required for qualification for the final.  She failed three times at 4.55 and her Olympics were over. Speaking to British media last month she outlined her…