Aussie’s pole vaulter Kurtis Marschall breakthrough

Former junior pole vault star Kurtis Marschall has cracked the big time at the world championships in London.

Australia's Kurtis Marschall prepares to compete at the World Athletics Championships in London. Picture: AP

Former junior pole vault star Kurtis Marschall has reached his first senior world championship final in London after surviving the terrors of a countback in the qualifying round in London today.

South Australian Marschall, 20, progressed in equal 11th due to a first-time clearance at 5.60m. He missed his three attempts at 5.70m but benefited from a cleaner record than others who were eliminated at that height.

He is the first Australian man to reach the final since the 2008 Olympic champion Steve Hooker retired in 2012.

Marschall made his Olympic debut in Rio last year as a teenager but was on the wrong side of the countback on that occasion.

“I cleared the same bars that I cleared in Rio, except this was at the first attempt and it’s nice to squeak in this time. I’m very happy about it.

“I was stressing hard and I was always looking over at my coach. Am I going to squeak in? Is 5.60 going to be enough? It’s always going to be a nervous wait if you miss the qualifying height.’’

Marschall said he felt as if he had cleared a mental hurdle by reaching the final and he hoped to improve on his personal best of 5.73m in tomorrow’s final.

Eight men cleared 5.70m, including the world record-holder Renaud Lavillenie, who took just two jumps to qualify, clearing 5.60m and 5.70m at the first attempt. Poland’s Piotr Lisek also progressed with a clean record.

American favourite Sam Kendricks, Canada’s defending champion Shawn Barber and Poland’s Pawel Wojciechowski also cleared 5.70m.

But it was a less happy outcome for Olympic 400m semi-finalist Morgan Mitchell who was unable to summon that form to reach the semi-finals in London.

Mitchell, 22, finished fifth in her heat in 52.22sec. She was 26th overall and 0.21sec short of qualifying.

She was in tears afterwards, confessing afterwards that she had been “suffering on the sidelines’’ since the Rio Olympics.

“I thought I was doing all right. I was running PBs in training five days ago. I just can’t seem to put it together on the day of competition,’’ she said.

“To be honest, this year, mentally more than anything, I’ve struggled with a lot of issues.

“if people understood how hard it is to mentally bring yourself to these Games and perform well, I just couldn’t do it this year. I felt cooked It just sucks because that is not who I am.’’

Mitchell said she had struggled with her emotions since making her Olympic debut last year.

“That definitely haunted me, it wasn’t definitely supposed to go that way last year. I think to be honest.. l didn’t want to care anymore, I fell into a heap of sad emotions, depression, didn’t want to get out of bed, was crying at training

I’m not an excuse person, I told Fitz (her coach Peter Fitzgerald) I might be sad but doesn’t mean I am going to bring that to the track so it is sh.t feeling like I have brought it all back to the track, I just don’t know, I’m so f.cking lost at the moment.’’

Nigerian-born Salwa Naser , now running for Bahrain, was the top qualifier (50.57sec) from American Phyllis Francis (50.94sec) and Olympic champion Shaunae Miller-Uibo of The Bahamas (50.97sec).