Being in the company of Olympic champions can either intimidate or overawe you. Not if the person answers to the name of
Katie Moon
though. The gold medallist in pole vault in Tokyo and double world champion in Oregon and Budapest, Moon hopes to defend her crown later this year in Paris.
The 32-year-old Atlanta-based athlete is in Mumbai as the event ambassador of the 19th Tata Mumbai Marathon. Dressed in a deep red event tee and black tights, Moon took time out for a chat with TOI from the rooftop of the south Mumbai hotel that she is staying in.
Be it sharing her gold medal in Budapest with Aussie
Nina Kennedy
and being criticized for it, the perils and advantages of social media, athletes using their platform to voice their protest, Moon touched upon a variety of subjects during a 30-minute interaction.
Excerpts:
You are here as an ambassador for the TMM which is essentially a running event? Do you run as well and how many kilometres do you clock in on a weekly basis in season and off-season?
Nope. I'm very sprinting based. Running is important but running for longer distances is something that I am not good at, and so I have nothing but respect for the people that come out and run marathons, half marathons, 5ks or 10ks, any of the above. I am so in awe of people that get out and do that. So even though I'm not a runner myself, I'm just so happy to be a part of this and I can't wait to watch everybody.
What about pole-vaulting made you fall in love with the sport?
I was always loving things that involved adrenaline and upper body strength. I was a gymnast when I was little so it was the perfect next sport for me once I quit gymnastics. Granted, I stopped gymnastics when I was eight-years-old and I didn't start pole vaulting till I was 12, so it wasn't an immediate segway. But I just took one look at the older kids doing it and said 'I have to try that, it looks so fun', and as soon as I did, I loved it immediately and I've just been trying to do it as long as I can ever since.
What is the ideal age to start pole-vaulting?
The younger, the better, but Jen (Jennifer) Suhr who is our Olympic gold medallist in 2012 started after college, and she was 21, 22 at that point. So there is no right or wrong age. The earlier, the better, but if you start later, that does not mean that you aren't going to be good at it.
You were a diver, gymnast and then graduated to pole-vaulting. Having the exposure to multiple sports, how valuable has it been for your career? Even the great Yelena Isinbayeva was a gymnast until 15…
That does not surprise me (laughs). But absolutely. I think every sport can give you different strengths and something that will help you in any sport really. I'm a big advocate for kids getting to try anything and everything they want. And more than just the physical benefits, for me, if I had been forced to do one sport too early, I would have hated it, even though I loved pole-vaulting. Like gymnastics for example, they really wanted me there, everyday for hours a day, and I loved gymnastics, but I wanted to go play soccer, I wanted to go skiing with my family on the weekends, I wanted to try everything.
So the fact that I was able to do pole vaults and go to clubs and clinics if I wanted to, then I had golf in the fall and swimming and diving in the winter, when I came back to pole vault, it was so fun because I wasn't having to do it all year round. So it is nice as a kid from a physical aspect to try different sports and find what your strengths are. Swimming got me a lot stronger for pole-vaulting.
The greatest coaching lesson that your coach Brad Walker gave you?
He really taught me how to think on the runway which sounds obvious, but before working with him, I would just run down, throw my hands up and hope for the best and go completely off on adrenaline and feeling and that can be a very scary way to pole vault. I was very afraid of it for most of my career. So him teaching me how to think and just finding those execution points, to tell my body what to do. So as I'm running down, I am saying very specifically 'fast hands', and that's a very specific cue to punch my hands up into the take-off as fast as possible. By doing that, it then gets my body to do other things throughout the rest of the jump.
Coming to the Tokyo Games, firstly tell us how did the Covid situation affect your preparations with the decision to push the games back by a year?
I think it actually did benefit me quite a bit, because it gave me another year to fine-tune what we had been working on technically, as much as I feel bad saying that, because Covid affected so many people in so many negative ways. When you go to a competition and the adrenaline kicks in a lot of times, I would revert to old bad habits that we were trying to kick. So it allowed me to get rid of a lot of the old habits just by repetitions. So it was probably one of the better things for my career.
We had a small facility in the middle of nowhere (Cartersville, Georgia). It's this old, abandoned warehouse. It used to be this jeans factory and they just set up a couple of pole vault pits in there. So we were able to stay in our bubble and not be around people when that was frowned upon, and get the training in that we wanted.
Can you talk about the experience of competing at the Tokyo Games which took place without spectators? The biggest stage for any athlete which you work so hard for, was it any way anticlimactic?
It was very different, but I think the one upside is, and this is just something my coach taught me, that in teaching me how to think, how to focus on the runway, it allowed me to execute no matter what was going on, whether we had thousands of fans or no fans.
So actually, some of my better meets were at high school, local high schools with no one there and so even though fans would have helped, it still felt very special, it still felt different and very real that this is the Olympics. And we had been competing without fans throughout the year, so because of that it didn't feel too drastically different.
I do think it probably leant to it not feeling real for a long time, like 'oh this was the Olympics. I just won that'. Like there was a bit of a disconnect for a while, but I don't think it hindered me thankfully. And I think that's a testament to my coach and how he trained me.
The Tokyo Games was also the first high-profile case of 2 athletes sharing a gold medal which we saw happen in the men's high jump. Last year, you of course had a personal experience of sharing the gold at the World Championships with Australia's Nina Kennedy. The decision to do so drew a lot of criticism which prompted you to put out a very candid, emotional post on Instagram. While you made valid points about why you felt it was the right move in that particular situation, is there a part of you that is worried athletes may start taking this step for the wrong reasons?
Well, it's hard to say that because at this level, every athlete, their motivations are pure. If they're winning a meet, or both athletes are at the very end of a meet they both won, I appreciate that the rule allows it if both athletes want to do that. I can see them maybe changing the rule to incentivize people to keep jumping. I have absolutely no regrets about it. I know without a doubt that was the best decision.
I knew I was not going to be able to take any more jumps safely, and I put this in my post. But it gets to a point where if you start to become fatigued beyond the threshold, it gets a little bit dangerous, because if you come down the runway and you put your hands up, you are going to get picked up off the ground but you have to be able to transfer that energy safely into the pit, and that doesn't always happen. So I knew that I could not take any more safe jumps, and I am glad that they didn't require us to jump off.
I can see why people maybe wouldn't understand it. They see top athletes and they just assume that we have this win-at-all-cost mentality, but I think a big part of why we have reached this level is listening to our bodies, knowing what's best.
I could see them maybe changing it, but the reality is it's only ever going to happen in pole vault and high jump. The odds of getting the exact time down to the thousandth second, or in long jump where to have the exact same scorecard for all six jumps, it's just not likely. In the pole vault and high jump, it is more likely. Even so, in my entire career, that's the second jump-off that I've ever come to, and I don't recall it coming down to that at a major championship in the years before. While it's possible, the odds of it happening often are still not likely, but I think until you're an athlete in that moment and just know how your body is feeling, it's hard for me to take critics too seriously (laughs).
How do you feel about social media in general? On one hand it gives you this opportunity to clearly put forth your views. But on the flip side, you have to put up with trolls. How do you deal with it?
I think for something like pole vault and track and field, I really like social media because it is getting the more niche sports out there. In pole vault's case, we get some really cool action shots and videos and slow-mos. I do think it is really great for some of the events that aren't as popular. I enjoy it because what I post is just who I am, I post about my family, my dog, my friends and I also post vaulting.
It definitely has its negative side because it lets people feel like they have access to us in a way that maybe shouldn't always be the case. Like commenting 'loser mentality' on my post when I've won a gold medal is just crazy to me (smiles). So I do think it gives people a little more courage to be mean at times and think that we don't have feelings, and that we're just there for their entertainment. But overall, I really love what social media can bring for people. I think it can motivate young athletes and I've talked very candidly about body image issues and things like that.
Who are your sporting idols? Be it pole vault or any other sport?
Growing up, I did not know that you can take up pole vault professionally. It was only in the Olympics in 2000 (Sydney) that I realized you can take it up as a professional sport. I started in 2004, and
Stacy Dragila
was big for us back then. I got to know her a bit more recently and she is awesome, and
Jennifer Suhr
won the crown in London in 2012. As far as pole vault was concerned, those were the women I looked up to. But because I did not know much about pole vault as a kid, I looked up to other sporting idols.
Mia Hamm
was a big name for us in soccer.
Lisa Leslie
was huge in WNBA. Those were the women I looked up to. But thanks to social media now, it gives kids more access to sporting idols and aspire to be like them.
I wish I had something like that. But of course, I am glad I did not have social media when I was young, because that would have ruined me. But it can do a lot of good for the sport.
What are your views on athletes taking protests onto the field of play, be it BLM or anti-war sentiments? Have you ever done it?
I have nothing but respect for the athletes that use their platform, to speak on what they are passionate about. I love that. I try to keep mine pretty sports based because there is already a lot of division right now in the world. And, sport is one place where people can come together. And I want it to be a space for people with varying opinions and backgrounds. I try to keep it mild from my side. Obviously, if there are things that I must speak on, I will. I like to hear both sides of anything and I try to hear an opinion even if I don't agree with it, but it's hard to get that across on social media, so I keep it pretty neutral.
How do you see the level of competition in pole vault among the men and women? Among the women, it appears there's more competition in terms of the gap among competitors being very close, but there is still some distance in comparison with the world record mark of 5.06m set by Isinbayeva in 2009. On the men's side, Armand Duplantis seems to be in a league of his own, and keeps raising the bar.
I think both genders have value to them. On the men's side, obviously you have Armand jumping where there is a scenario of him potentially breaking a world record every time he steps on the field. He is elevating the rest of the men's field, especially in the US because several male vaulters have jumped over 6 metres lately and pushing that American record higher.
Even though he is in a league of his own, Armand is bringing up the depth of men's pole vault. He still has to come in and have a good day, because we have seen that there have been days where he has had an off day.
On the women's side, on any given day it's exciting to come in not knowing what to expect. I like to put myself in that category. It could be me; it could be Nina (Kennedy), it could be Wilma (Murto), Sandi (Morris) or Elisa (Molinarolo), we have so many women right now who can jump high. I have been fortunate to attempt the world record a couple of times and I am hoping to do that again. It's not beyond the realm of possibility.
No disrespect to Yelena, she was unbelievable and in a league of her own, but the depth in women's pole vault now means that we must constantly battle to clear 4.8m, 4.9. When Yelena competed, she used to come and jump the distance that she wanted and that was basically it. But when you are constantly having to battle it out at 4.70, 4.80, 85, 90, that was not happening back then. So you are getting something special on each side whether you are watching the men or the women.
We touched upon preparations earlier. Just curious about any other fitness drills you do apart from gym work and the stretches? Do you meditate, do yoga before a big event or jump? We famously saw Isinbayeva just before her record-breaking gold-medal winning jump wrap herself in the blanket and then attempt it?
I am someone who likes to pace a bit. You won't see me under a blanket.
What was Isinbayeva trying to do?
My guess is she was just trying to visualize and stay in her zone, not get involved in anything whatever someone else was doing. Because in pole vault, it does not matter what someone else does. You do your jump and then look around what the other competitor has cleared and then get a little worked up.
Your drills...
My fitness drills do include a bit of yoga, where I just hold very specific positions for a certain amount of time. For me, the mental exercises I do are more about cues when I am on the runway. Every time I am in practice, every single jump, I am focusing and telling my body that I want to do it the same way and so when I come into a meet and get on the runway, you block everything else out and focus.
When I get into a competition, it's about getting my adrenaline up when I need it and when I clear the bar, it's about putting back my sweats on and try and relax. I don't know if I can ever throw the blanket over, but it's also because I love pole vault and it's hard for me not watching it when there is action happening.
Is there a motivational quote or something that you always carry with you?
I do write 'dad' on my spikes because my dad died when I was 16. He was always a big factor in taking me to my lessons and practice sessions. So I will tap it because that grounds me a little bit and say, "Ok dad, let's go." It allows me to think of him and honour him and brings me back to centre.
Is athletics as financially rewarding as tennis, golf or basketball or Formula 1? What do you reckon could be done to make it more financially viable?
Depending on the event that you are in, the financial rewards vary. I think the sprinters do very well. You don't see the same kind of money in pole vault. I am fortunate to have a sponsor and be able to support myself financially. If I can live independently for my family and do this thing that I love, then that's all that matters. Thankfully I am in a position where I can save up and have a cushion for my next endeavour.
I think this is where social media helps. The more you are out there and the more visibility you have, the more companies want to work with you. It's funny. When social media came out, they first said, do not get on to social media and now it's very much the opposite. They encourage it. It's hard to say without sounding ungrateful, but yes, I would love to see more money in the sport like the NFL, NBA, golf, or tennis.
You've already ticked the big boxes - you're a reigning 2-time World Champion, you're an Olympic champion. What's next on your list of goals? Taking women's pole vault to another level in the way we saw Isinbayeva do it, is that something that motivates you?
Absolutely. In the US, the record is 5 metres. It is a huge barrier and something that motivates me, and the world record is just above it. I am using those records as motivation. I would love to defend my title. That's very motivating.
What is your cheat day or cheat diet like?
I don't eliminate something from my diet except for gluten because I am Celiac which makes me allergic to gluten. I enjoy everything in moderation. I am a dessert person. I love chocolate and things like that but if I am craving something right through the week then I have a little bit of chocolate. There is nothing I eliminate because I then go crazy. There was a point in my life where I was way too strict with my diet and I was so unhappy.
I like Asian food and that is usually something that I always order. Sushi, Indian, Chinese, or Thai, it could be anything. If I am craving for anything, it could be one of those.
Since I landed in India, I have been having paneer butter masala and that's amazing. I had the buffet which had a mix of everything. It's good to know that the US has not yet completely botched Indian food (laughs).
English (US) ·