This is a wonderful piece on Katie Moon, considered one of our favourite athletes, by Deji Ogeyingbo. Katie Moon was considered one of our hottest athletes of 2023 and 2024! Deji Ogeyingbo wrote articles on American athletes during the last couple of months.
Katie Moon: The Regular Hand of U.S. Pole Vaulting
Since her Olympic gold medal in Tokyo in 2020, Katie Moon has grow to be synonymous with successful when it issues most. Moon has delivered time and time once more, with a exceptional streak of main medals that features gold on the 2022 and 2023 World Championships and, just lately, Silver on the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Her success isn’t just concerning the headlines and the data, however her capacity to carry out underneath strain. Moon’s consistency on the prime of her sport has earned her a popularity as probably the most dependable athletes in observe and discipline. After a difficult yr marked by accidents, together with a hard achilles, the 33-year-old might have simply bowed out of the Paris 2024 Olympics. Nonetheless, as a substitute, she pushed by and as soon as once more secured a podium end.
“I awoke not feeling very properly, only a headache, and I felt like my nervous system was somewhat flat,” Moon mentioned after the competitors. “However I simply tried to remain targeted. That is the Olympics.”
That degree of dedication is what has outlined her profession. Regardless of struggling bodily and battling the strain of being the defending Olympic gold medalist, Moon’s capacity to remain composed when it mattered most was on full show. Moon settled for silver in a contest that noticed her good buddy, Nina Kennedy, take Gold with a surprising 4.90m vault however expressed nothing however delight in her efficiency.
“As soon as I used to be right here, I used to be simply praying that my physique would maintain up as a result of I felt able to leaping excessive and doing one thing nice once more,” she mentioned. “And I’m simply so, so completely satisfied that it did.”
Her method to this Olympics sharply contrasted with the strain she felt previously. After back-to-back gold medals on the World Championships in 2022 and 2023, Moon was now seen because the athlete to beat. However as a substitute of succumbing to expectations, she shifted her mindset. A season marred by harm meant many counted her out, which, in Moon’s case, could have been exactly what she wanted. Feeling like an underdog once more, she took the strain off herself, which helped her carry out on one of many sport’s largest levels.
Whereas her physique could not have been in peak situation, Moon’s psychological power proved to be simply as necessary. She knew that within the pole vault, something might occur, and in Paris, it was Kennedy’s flip to shine. However that didn’t make Moon’s silver any much less helpful. It was one more demonstration of her unwavering capacity to rise to the event, irrespective of the challenges.
“I’m so relieved and pleased with the way it went,” Moon mentioned, reflecting on her journey. “The season was powerful. I had an Achilles harm all through most of it, and I used to be simply relieved to make the crew once more.”
Her continued success hasn’t been nearly her drive but in addition concerning the relationships she’s constructed alongside the way in which. The bond between Moon and Kennedy is considered one of mutual respect, and their shared success within the 2023 World Championships, once they determined to share the gold medal—has solely deepened their connection. In Paris, Kennedy’s gold was hard-earned, however Moon, the sportswoman, provided reward shortly.
“Nina is such competitor,” she mentioned. “She confirmed up, and he or she’s just about the age I used to be once I actually figured it out, and it’s cool watching that occur in real-time for another person.”
That sort of sportsmanship, mixed together with her consistency, has made Moon a determine to admire, not simply within the pole vault however in observe and discipline at massive. She’s not nearly successful; she’s about displaying up, yr after yr, irrespective of the circumstances.
As Moon appears to be like towards the long run, competing within the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles stays tempting. However at 33, she is sensible concerning the challenges of one other Olympic cycle. “I’ll completely undergo subsequent yr,” she mentioned. “However after that, we are going to simply take it yr by yr.”
Whether or not Paris was her final Olympic Video games or not, Moon’s legacy as probably the most reliable athletes ever representing the U.S. is firmly established.
