Australian pole vaulter Kurtis Marschall blames stellar fitness for national championships flop

Kurtis Marschall flopped at last weekend’s national championships, but the ripped Aussie Olympian believes there’s no cause for concern.

Australian pole vaulter Kurtis Marschall was touted as the favourite leading into last weekend’s national athletics championships, but instead, the Olympian flopped.

The 23-year-old was unable to clear 5.50m on three attempts, failing to record a height at Sydney Olympic Park.

Comparatively, he successfully cleared 5.75m at the Sydney Track Classic in March, while his personal best is 5.81m.

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Instead of blaming weather or bad technique for Sunday’s failure, Marschall claimed he was simply too fit and fast.

“I have this whole new body which is ready to rock and roll and it just doesn’t do justice for how I was feeling on the day and how my body is in really good nick,” Marschall said, as reported by The Sydney Morning Herald.

“First jump the bar was at 5.50, and I normally do that in my sleep, but I was running so fast and so well that I ran myself too close and got ripped off the ground.

“When you run a little bit faster, you find yourself taking off closer to the box, and when your pole-ground angle is low like that when you take off close, you get ripped off the ground — you get sucked instead of jumping up into the pole.”

Kurtis Marschall competes during the Australian Track & Field Championships.

Incredibly, Marschall was named in Australia’s track-and-field team for the Tokyo Olympics hours after the national champs debacle.

Marschall had previously recorded three qualifying heights in the selection period despite crashing out in Sydney.

“It was almost a blessing in disguise, a little bit of a kick in the arse, which I deserved, to make sure I am on top of all these little thing when it comes to the major competitions because you can’t be sloppy like that in Tokyo and trying to get things right but not making the adjustments necessary so it will be a good learning curve for me,” Marschall said.

“I want to do another competition next week just to prove to everyone I am in good nick.”

Marschall competed at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio before winning a gold medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast.

However, a back stress fracture hampered his 2019 before an untimely global pandemic struck the following year.

The West Australian has pursued pole vaulting greatness since the age of 13, inspired by Steve Hooker’s unforgettable performance at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

Kurtis Marschall of Western Australia.

“You don’t really have to be that talented, you have to be kind of co-ordinated, a little bit fast and like springy as a kid,” Marschall said last week, as reported by The Australian.

“You can just develop the technique over time. I’m always looking for the perfect jump. The pursuit of perfection is what keeps me going.

“I feel like I’m in pretty good physical condition compared to the rest of guys in the world. I’ve got all the stats behind me.

“Just technically, I still need a little bit of work. The technical pursuit of being perfect — it’s like teasing me. It’s a like a sport that I’m good at, but I’ll never be perfect.

“I’m always like trying to chase more and trying to get better and better and better. I feel like when I’m out there, like it’s just me and my pole and I can just do my thing.

“It’s like I’m being rewarded for something that I’m good at. It’s such a good feeling.”

Tokyo Olympics track-and-field team (as of Sunday, April 18)

Rohan Browning — 100m

Jye Edwards — 1500m

Kurtis Marschall — pole vault

Cedric Dubler — decathlon

Ash Moloney — decathlon

Riley Day — 200m

Bendere Oboya — 400m

Catriona Bisset — 800m

Linden Hall — 1500m

Liz Clay — 100m hurdles

Genevieve Gregson — 3000m steeplechase

Nicola McDermott — high jump

Brooke Stratton — long jump

Nina Kennedy — pole vault

Dani Stevens — discus

Stewart McSweyn — 5000m and 10,000m

Dane Bird-Smith — 20km walk

Jessica Hull — 5000m

Jemima Montag — 20km walk

Kelsey Lee-Barber — javelin

Originally published as Australian pole vaulter Kurtis Marschall blames stellar fitness for national championships flop