Parker Vaulting Her Way On To The International Stage

CANADA – Karleigh Parker has catapulted herself, quite literally, onto the Canadian Summer Universiade team. Parker along with Lindsey Bergevin have been selected as the pole vault competitors for team Canada. Parker secured her place on the team with a vault of 4.15m (the Universiade standard) at her final track meet competing for Western Kentucky University.

“Seeing the clearance over the big heights I’ve made this year… has got me really excited for that day that everything just comes together for me and I pull off some big jumps,” said Parker, “but more or less it’s just a big confidence booster and I’m hoping to carry out this confidence to South Korea, to make the finals, and hopefully pull off a medal-winning jump.”

This isn’t the first time Parker has competed on the international stage, having captured the bronze medal at the 2011 Junior Pan American championships and competing at the 2010 World Junior Championships. However, her selection for the Universiade is particularly special, after battling injuries during her freshman and sophomore year at WKU.

“It means that all the hard work I’ve put in the past year has paid off. I got off track last year and almost quit. But seeing how I pushed through all the hard times and made another national team makes it all worth it.”

During her time at WKU, Parker set school records for both the indoor and outdoor pole vault. This year she earned an outdoor personal best with a jump of 4.21m (a WKU record) and broke the WKU indoor record with a jump of 4.06m in February. Coming into her final year at WKU, Parker knew it was her chance to improve after three disappointing seasons, “I knew I had it in me to go higher and I wanted so badly to compete for Canada again since it had been 4 years.”

“With the support of my parents, coaches and my vaulting crew down at WKU my attitude did a 180, and I have been continually improving this year.”

Megan McPhaden (CAN), FISU Young Reporter