Pole vaulter Eliza McCartney has a five metre clearance on her mind as she contemplates the remaining events on athletics' Diamond League calendar.

The 21-year-old is fully fit and back to what she considers her optimum run-up of 14 paces as she attempts to join Russian world record holder Yelena Isinbaeva (six times with a best of 5.06m) and American Sandi Morris (once at 5m) in reaching the elusive mark.

On the weekend, McCartney broke her own national and Oceania record of 4.85m - set in May at Eugene, Oregon - with vaults of 4.86m and then 4.92m to triumph at a meet in Mannheim, Germany.

It was the second best jump of the year behind American Jenn Suhr's 4.93m, and she became just the fourth woman to reach the 4.92m mark.


"My next obvious target is 4.95m, but I was attempting 5m at the weekend and was happy with the effort," McCartney said.

"I'm hoping it [5m] is just round the corner. It'll come one day, I just don't know what day."

This season McCartney has focused on establishing a longer run-up and using bigger poles.

"That is what I've been lacking the last couple of years through injuries and other circumstances, but the opening competition in Europe was my first off 14 strides in a long time and it worked well.

"Even though technically I didn't think I was jumping that well, I still jumped a PB which is so exciting if I can use that run-up at the rest of the competitions."

Successful vaulters tend to come from opposites on the athletic spectrum – sprinters versus gymnasts - although most champions are a hybrid.

It comes down to how well an athlete can transfer kinetic energy on the runway into power via the pole.

Isinbayeva had a remarkable understanding of her body position levitating into an "L" shape through the air.


"Every jumper has different strengths, techniques and methods," McCartney said.

"The model we tend to go off is a Russian model, probably more similar to Isinbayeva than Sandi or Jenn.

"For instance, Sandi is fast on the runway and I need to get faster there, but I don't spend a lot of time analysing other people's vaults."

McCartney also pushes the prospect of vaulting for money to the back of her mind.

Victory at a Diamond League event earns athletes US$10,000 which whittles to US$6000 for second through to US$1000 for eighth.

"That's more of a secondary factor," McCartney said.

"I get funding from back home and the prize money helps. I'm fortunate I don't have to think about it during competition. It's more of a cherry on top afterwards, but for a lot of athletes it's their main income. It depends on your situation."

McCartney competes at the Athletissima in Lausanne on Thursday next week in front of a strong field and one of the more knowledgable crowds in the sport.

She intends to return to perform in Monaco after that. Women's pole vault also features at the Diamond League events in Birmingham and Zurich.