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Bleasdale meets Korea standard

The battle to pull to pull on the GB vest in the pole vault at this summer’s World Championships took another twist at the McCain City Challenge in Sheffield with Holly Bleasdale notching the South Korean A qualifying standard.

The pole vault has been a one-woman show over the last few years with Kate Dennison blazing a trail through the sport, establishing herself as a shoo-in for all major championships.

However while Dennison has conquered all before her on the domestic stage, internationally she has struggled to produce the goods, often flattering to deceive on the major championship stage.

To date, apart from a less-than-impressive Commonwealth Games bronze in India (only clearing 4.25m), Dennison’s best display at a global event was sixth at the 2009 World Championships in Berlin.

With that in mind Dennison, 26, will no doubt be looking over her shoulder with Bleasdale’s current form, especially having been beaten by her younger rival at the Aviva International Match last month.

The 19-year-old moved up to second on the all-time UK list with 4.48 metres in Glasgow and her victory yesterday in Sheffield, clearing 4.50 metres, put her just ten centimetres shy of Dennison’s best.

And much to Dennison’s chagrin, Bleasdale is adamant there is more to come.

“I came in at 4.15 metres which is the highest I’ve ever started at so I thought I’d give it a good go,” said Bleasdale.

“I just wanted to get a personal best and stay fresh. I was pleased to clear 4.50 metres and I was quite far over it so hopefully I can have another good attempt at 4.61 metres next week at the Aviva UK Trials when there will be a big crowd and everything.”

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Holly close to British pole vault record
4:40pm Thursday 10th February 2011

By Andy McAllister »
Athletics correspondent

HOLLY Bleasdale is homing in on the senior women’s British record after raising the Under 23 indoor record in the pole vault for the fourth weekend in a row.

The 19-year-old Blackburn Harrier added another two centimetres to clear 4.50m as she won her event at the McCain City Challenge in Sheffield.

Already this season Bleasdale has raised her personal best by 15 centimetres, having previously cleared 4.35m outdoors, and she is second on the all-time UK list – only 10 centimetres shy of Kate Dennison’s 4.60m.

She said: “I came in at 4.15m, which is the highest I’ve ever started at, so I thought I’d give it a good go.

“I just wanted to get a PB (personal best) and stay fresh.

“I was pleased to clear 4.50m and I was quite far over it, so hopefully I can have another good attempt at 4.61m next week at the Aviva UK Trials.”

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Dennison unperturbed by silver

Kate Dennison failed to win pole vault gold at the Aviva UK Indoor Trials & Championships for the first time since 2005 on Sunday – but has vowed to take the result with a pinch of salt.

The 26-year-old took the runway in Sheffield for just the second time since claiming Commonwealth bronze in October and recorded a best leap of just 4.26m to win silver.

At just 19-years-old, Holly Bleasdale scuppered Dennison’s bid for an impressive sixth straight title in the Steel City finishing with a winning height of 4.36m.

And while disappointed to not climb the top of the podium Dennison – who revealed she will return to the runway this week – admitted she will put the performance into perspective.

“I have made loads of changes recently and I jumped really well but pole vaulting is a lot about being on the right pole at the right time,” said Dennison.

“It is hard to explain because it is such a technical event. I did the stuff I have been working on and I am going to compete again on Wednesday so I am hoping it will all come together then.

“Sometimes you have to go back a step to go forward and this is what I am doing. I am a 4.60 jumper but I made changes as I needed to improve again.

“I am obviously gutted to lose the national title as I have won it five times in a row but I am getting there again and it is all about putting into competition the changes that I have been making in training.

“It is fantastic having Holly. We have a new kid on the block and we will push each other a lot. She is a very different vaulter to me but she is obviously going very well.”

Dennison’s shock defeat came less than 24 hours after fellow pole vaulter Steve Lewis suffered exactly the same fate and also missed out on a sixth straight national title.

Latest results, Bleasdale 4.50 =PB and Dennison 4.20 SB.

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Pole star Holly aims for 2012
11:20am Thursday 17th February 2011

By Andy McAllister »
Athletics correspondent

Pole vaulter Holly Bleasdale has won her first National Championship and in the process has earned a trip to Paris as a member of the Great Britain and Northern Ireland team at the 31st European Indoor Championships.

The 19-year-old travelled to Sheffield on Sunday for the UK Indoor Trials and Championships in red-hot form having increased her personal best from 4.35m to 4.50m after just five outings this year.

And the Blackburn Harrier didn’t disappoint in the Steel City, scuppering Kate Dennison’s bid for a sixth straight title to take gold in impressive fashion courtesy of a best leap of 4.36m.

Bleasdale took only two vaults to win her title with first time clearances at 4.16m and 4.36m, while Dennison who was alone in clearing 4.26m, suffered three failures at 4.36.

Having never beaten the UK holder until this season, Bleasdale has now done so twice. She went on to try and raise her personal best to 4.51m, and after recent successes admitted to mild disappointment.

“I have been setting personal bests quite a lot so it’s disappointing not to set another one but 4.36m is still a good height and I am happy with that,” she said.

The qualifying height for Paris is 4.40m, but although she was just short, Bleasdale had the standard already and needed to finish in the first two to earn selection.

With no vault at the Indoor Grand Prix this weekend, Bleasdale has flown to Poland and was due to compete at Bydgoszcs last night.

Dennison, the Commonwealth Games bronze medallist, is yet to hit the mark required for European Championship selection, but with hers sewn up Bleasdale has vowed to learn how to cope under pressure.

“Competing against Kate spurs me on. She is a good friend and I have watched her for years and she has won this many times and now I am competing against her and it is great,” she added.

“There was a lot of pressure on me out there with lots of friends and family watching me but that is something I need to get used to and I need to get over the pressure of big competitions.”

On the week when the Olympic timetable has been announced, it is inevitable that the bronze medallist from the 2010 World Junior Championships is beginning to look ahead. Bleasdale believes that her gold at the UK Indoor Championships was just the reminder that she needed that reaching London 2012 is a very real possibility.

“2012 is a big aim for me, I am still young but I really want to be there. The aim would be to make the final, I just want to get there and doing well here is a confidence boost,” she said.

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Holly equals her best
10:28am Thursday 24th February 2011

Holly Bleasdale has equalled her lifetime best with a clearance of 4.50 metres in the pole vault at the Pedro’s Cup Indoor Meeting at Bydgoszcz in Poland.

With no women’s vault at the Aviva meeting in Birmingham last weekend, the 19-year old Blackburn Harrier flew out to Poland in midweek to get the taste of major competition ahead of the European Indoor Championships.

In front of 5000 spectators at the city’s Luczniczha Hall, Holly took third place behind home favourite Anna Rogowska, the 2009 world champion, and the 2010 European champion Svetlana Feofanova of Russia.

Rogowska cleared 4.76m at her last attempt to equal the second best height this season while Bleasdale defeated another local star Monika Pyrek the 2009 World Champion-ship silver medallist.

British record holder Kate Dennison once again failed to reach the 4.40m European Indoor Championship qualifying mark.