Kondo aims high in pole vaulting event<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): To continually reach the height of competitions
\nis the unproved ambition of women's pole vaulter Takayo Kondo of
\nJapan.<\/p>\n
After winning her maiden international gold medal in the 13th
\nAsian Track and Field Championships in Jakarta on Tuesday, the
\n24-year-old athlete is setting her sights on triumphing in the
\ndiscipline in the 2002 Asian Games in Pusan, South Korea, and
\nevery other event she enters.<\/p>\n
Despite her victory here, Kondo was far from satisfied with
\nher mark, which equaled the old record of 4.00 meters set by Peng
\nXiaoming of China in the last championships, in July 1998.<\/p>\n
\"I'm happy with the result as I managed to equal the old
\nrecord and also won the gold medal. This is my first gold. But
\nthe result is below my best of 4.10 meters which I created in the
\nChina Open in May 1999,\" she said.<\/p>\n
After clearing the 4.00-meter bar, Kondo decided to skip a
\ntrial for 4.05m and insisted on jumping over 4.10m. She came
\ncloser to a new record in her final attempt when she jumped the
\nbar, but unfortunately her right leg hit it.<\/p>\n
With only one month of preparations for the championships,
\nKondo proved she was no longer the second string pole vaulter in
\nher country. Japanese ace pole vaulter Masumi Ono failed to
\nperform her best here as she only managed to leap 3.80, 0.40
\nmeters below her best of 4.20.<\/p>\n
\"By winning the championships, I can show that we are in the
\nsame league and stand an equal chance,\" said Kondo, who was born
\nin Shiga on Nov. 17, 1975.<\/p>\n
The former physical education student at Waseda University in
\nTokyo first took up the discipline two years ago but she only
\nbegan training intensively last year.<\/p>\n
\"I found pole vaulting more interesting as it always makes me
\nwant to try to jump higher and higher.\"<\/p>\n
Kondo, who works for a track and field equipment producer,
\nstarted her career in track and field as a long jumper. Her best
\nrecord was just 5.35 meters.<\/p>\n
\"I'm not good in the long jump. I'm just average,\" she said.
\nJapan's best national record is 6.61, held by Maho Hanaoka. (yan)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/kondo-aims-high-in-pole-vaulting-event-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}