Kondo aims high in pole vaulting event
Kondo aims high in pole vaulting event
JAKARTA (JP): To continually reach the height of competitions
is the unproved ambition of women's pole vaulter Takayo Kondo of
Japan.
After winning her maiden international gold medal in the 13th
Asian Track and Field Championships in Jakarta on Tuesday, the
24-year-old athlete is setting her sights on triumphing in the
discipline in the 2002 Asian Games in Pusan, South Korea, and
every other event she enters.
Despite her victory here, Kondo was far from satisfied with
her mark, which equaled the old record of 4.00 meters set by Peng
Xiaoming of China in the last championships, in July 1998.
"I'm happy with the result as I managed to equal the old
record and also won the gold medal. This is my first gold. But
the result is below my best of 4.10 meters which I created in the
China Open in May 1999," she said.
After clearing the 4.00-meter bar, Kondo decided to skip a
trial for 4.05m and insisted on jumping over 4.10m. She came
closer to a new record in her final attempt when she jumped the
bar, but unfortunately her right leg hit it.
With only one month of preparations for the championships,
Kondo proved she was no longer the second string pole vaulter in
her country. Japanese ace pole vaulter Masumi Ono failed to
perform her best here as she only managed to leap 3.80, 0.40
meters below her best of 4.20.
"By winning the championships, I can show that we are in the
same league and stand an equal chance," said Kondo, who was born
in Shiga on Nov. 17, 1975.
The former physical education student at Waseda University in
Tokyo first took up the discipline two years ago but she only
began training intensively last year.
"I found pole vaulting more interesting as it always makes me
want to try to jump higher and higher."
Kondo, who works for a track and field equipment producer,
started her career in track and field as a long jumper. Her best
record was just 5.35 meters.
"I'm not good in the long jump. I'm just average," she said.
Japan's best national record is 6.61, held by Maho Hanaoka. (yan)