We were already aware that British, World and European pole vault champion Irie Hill celebrated her 2002 Commonwealth Games bronze medal by racing around a track circuit at a speed of more than 130mph at the wheel of a Formula One car, a vehicle capable of 0-60mph in 4seconds, and that she was voted Best Dressed Woman at the Millennium Eve Celebration in Sydney Opera House. But she has kept on competing in her favourite sport, the pole vault, capturing numerous European and World Masters Athletics titles and setting records over the years. She is now a W50 and still has no fear of propelling her petite fit body high into the air.
She won the British Masters Indoor title last March, clearing 3.50m, going on to take the WMA Indoor title in Torun with a vault of 3.51m. On 15 June competing in the Nationales Waiblingen Leichtathletik Meet in Germany she set a new W50 World pole vault record of 3.41m, just right for the European Masters Athletics Track & Field Championships in Italy 5-15 September.
Bridget Cushen
June 2019
