HEREFORD polevaulter Irie Hill completed her competitive preparation for the Commonwealth Games by representing her club, Windsor,
Slough, Eton and Hounslow in the The British Cup semi-final, held at Thames Valley Athletic Club.
It gave her a last chance to cement a place in the European Championships team.
Needing to jump 4.25m Irie had to wait just over two hours for her first jump, as the competition started with 1.40m and went up in 10cm intervals.
At 3.70m there was just one athlete left in the competition, Claire Ridgely of Team Solent, and Irie still to enter.
They both then jumped at this height, Irie going clear on her first attempt, whilst Claire was close but just unable to go equal her personal best on
this occasion.
Irie then raised the bar to 3.90m and again went clear first time. At
4.10m Irie was looking at a new stadium record, which is currently held by Janine Whitlock with 4.05m. Unfortunately the winds, which had been swirling all day, chose this time to pick up strength in the wrong direction! Irie tried vainly to combat the wind but was not able to settle in her rhythm and ultimately this cost her a clearance
at this height.
The European Athletic Association have set a qualification mark of 4.00m for the European Championships, which Irie has cleared on 14 occasions this summer.
However, UK Athletics have set the mark 4.25m and it is up to them now whether they gamble on Irie improving her best of the year at the Commonwealth Games this week.
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