Hokie ClubBLACKSBURG – Virginia Tech rising sophomore Deakin Volz jumped a personal-best height of 5.65 meters (18 feet, 6.5 inches) to capture a gold medal in the pole vault event at the 2016 International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) World U20 Championships on Saturday at Zawisza Stadium located in Bydgoszcz, Poland.
A native of Bloomington, Indiana, Volz recorded three personal-best marks to set a new school record, surpassing Torben Laidig’s mark of 5.60 meters (18 feet, 4.5 inches) at the Texas Relays on April 1. Australia’s Kurtis Marschall, a 2016 Rio Olympics participant, was highly favored to win Saturday’s pole vault competition, but Volz overcame the odds and finished strong to earn the program’s first-ever world junior Gold medal.
“It’s incredible,” Volz said. “I missed a jump early and wasn’t in a good spot, but I kept fighting and I kept moving up poles, jumping higher and higher. When I cleared 5.50 meters, I knew I had a good shot to win. I was seeded really low coming into this meet, so I’m not quite sure I can believe I won. My dad sent me a text this morning saying ‘time to jump 5.60 meters.’ I one-upped him there.”
Volz cleared 5.50 meters (18 feet, .5 inches) on his second attempt to record his first personal-best mark of the day. Marschall then cleared 5.55 meters (18 feet, 2.5 inches) on his first try, while Volz landed the mark on his second attempt. Both participants failed on their first attempt at 5.60 meters, leaving Volz with a do-or-die jump to earn the world title. Volz cleared his second attempt perfectly, leading him to his final jump at 5.65 meters (18 feet, 4.5 inches) to set a new program record.
“Deakin did an excellent job of preparing for this meet, and he competed with great focus,” pole vault coach Bob Phillips said. “The three personal-best marks were a side affect of that. I’m really proud of him.”
Following Saturday’s performances, Volz ranks third all-time on the American junior pole vault list.
“I would like to thank everyone who has supported me and helped me get to where I am today,” Volz said. “My family and friends, and of course, the invaluable Virginia Tech staff and Team USA support. Days like this don’t come very often, and I’m proud that I was able to wear a USA uniform on a day like this and represent my country to the best of my ability.”
To reach the pole vault finals, Volz finished seventh in his respected heat and tied for 10th place overall in the qualifying round, jumping a height of 5.20 meters (17 feet, .75 inches) to advance to the pole vault final. Only the top 12 marks advanced to the final round of competition.
Of note, incoming Tech recruit Emma Thor placed 11th in Saturday’s hammer throw final, throwing a distance of 55.34 meters (181 feet, 6.7 inches).
Additionally, incoming freshman Eszter Bajnok and rising sophomore Diego Zarate also competed at the World Championships earlier this week. Bajnok placed seventh in the long jump final with a mark of 6.16 meters (20 feet, 2.5 inches), while Zarate placed seventh in the 1,500-meter race with a prelim time of 3:47.95. Zarate did not advance to the final round of competition.
Complete results from the World Championships can be found at www.iaaf.org.