Athletics – Women’s Pole Vault; Schwartz will be Israel’s only representative in the athletics field events in London.
By ALLON SINAIJILLIAN SCHWARTZ 370(photo credit: REUTERS)
Jillian Schwartz will be Israel’s only representative in the athletics field events in London and will be looking to add another achievement to the rich tradition of local pole vaulting.Two-time European pole vault champion Alex Averbukh reached Olympic finals in 2000 and 2004 and Schwartz will be aiming to become the first Israeli women to do so in London.The 32-year-old, who booked her place at the 2012 Olympics by clearing 4.52 meters in January, finished the recent European Championships in 11th position, clearing 4.35 meters with her third and final attempt before jumping 4.40m last week to win an event in Germany.The Illinois native represented the US in the 2004 Athens Games, but missed out on the American team four years later and received Israeli citizenship in 2009 after agreeing to move to the country following her triumph for the US in the Maccabiah Games.These will likely be Schwartz’s final Olympics and she will be disappointed with anything but qualification for the final.With 4.50m being enough to reach the final of last year’s World Championships and the Beijing Games, Schwartz knows that if she peaks in London, an Olympic final is well within her reach.Click for full JPost coverage
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