Pole-vaulter Stefanidi wins gold in Europeans with 4.81 m.
Greece dominated the women’s pole vault at the European Track and Field Championship in Amsterdam on Saturday as Katerina Stefanidi claimed gold and Nicole Kyriakopoulou finished fourth in the final.
Stefanidi cleared 4.70 meters with her first effort at the height, while Germany’s Lisa Ryzih made 4.70 m. with her second one to land the silver medal and retire.
Stefanidi then tried at 4.81 m., which she cleared at the third time of asking to finish head and shoulders above her rivals and register a new championship record.
Angelica Bengtsson was third with 4.65 meters and Kyriakopoulou ended fourth with 4.55 m.
Stefanidi was born in Athens but lives and trains in the US. She is Greece’s best hope for an Olympic medal next month in Rio de Janeiro.
On Saturday she bettered her result from the previous European Championship in 2014 when she had finished second.
