Hooker grabs gold in Split

(Monday, 6 September 2010)

World, Olympic, world indoor and Commonwealth Games champion Steve Hooker (pole vault) and Beijing Olympics silver medallist Sally Pearson (100m hurdles) have won gold and fellow Commonwealth Games nominee Benn Harradine has set a new national benchmark in the men’s discus throw on a big for Australia at the IAAF Continental Cup meet in Split (CRO).

Lining up for team Asia-Pacific at the two-day cross-continental championships, 28-year-old Hooker, who has endured a hectic international campaign highlighted by appearances at all seven pole vault competitions on the 2010 Diamond League calendar, took victory overnight with a new world-leading and competition record leap of 5.95m.

The win marks the first time in Hooker’s illustrious career that he has defended a world title after taking gold at the 2006 World Cup – now known as the Continental Cup – in Athens (GRE) with a leap of 5.80m.

“For the first time in my career I defended a world title,” Hooker said.

“Being a World Cup and Continental Cup title-holder for eight years gives me confidence for the Commonwealth Games. It was a very good jump, I'm now holding a world-leading result for the first time ever and I'll be very proud if it stays that way at the end of the season.”

The Australian team captain, who in 2010 set out to win the IAAF world indoor championships, defend his World Cup title and claim a second successive Commonwealth Games crown under the tutelage of coach Alex Parnov, now needs only to defend his Commonwealth gold medal in New Delhi (IND) next month to cross all three goals off his list and round out another outstanding year on the world stage which, as the result of a technical change, has brought with it some ups and downs.

“To defend this title was very important to me this year and we have sacrificed some of the season to work on some aspects of my jumping. I can now focus on the Commonwealth Games as that is the last remaining goal for the year,” he said.

After clearing heights of 5.40m, 5.65m and 5.75m, Hooker missed his first attempt at 5.85m then passed up his next opportunity at that height, rejoining the action at 5.90m and sailing over the bar on his first trip down the runway. Locked in a tense two-man struggle with Diamond Race winner Renaud Lavillenie (FRA) and in a scene somewhat reminiscent of the 2008 Olympic Games, it was a third-attempt clearance that eventually secured victory for Hooker, the Western Australian-based star soaring over 5.95m to snatch gold.

"It was quite like the Olympics in the end, just the two of us going jump for jump,” Hooker said.

"I think the only time I was in front was when Renaud passed at 5.75m and even then I think I was only level with Derek (Miles, USA).”

Hooker, who pockets a US$30,000 cash reward for his overnight win, said he would be looking to maintain focus for his last two outings of the year at the Great North City Games in Newcastle-Gateshead (GBR) on September 18 and the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, commencing on October 3.

“I'll try to keep my mentality for the last two competitions. This stadium is great and the crowd really loves athletics, they were cheering for every one of us,” he said.

With thanks to Athletics Australia.