Top of his game

By CASEY NEILL
BELGRAVE’S Joel Pocklington is Australia’s number one pole vaulter.
The 26-year-old cleared 5.15 metres to take out the men’s competition at last months’ Australian Athletics Championships.
“It all went to plan,” he said.
Pocklington was under pressure heading into the meet after not losing a competition – aside from the Olympic trials – in the lead up.
But he focussed on using the right poles and jumping at the right points to claim first place by 25 centimetres.
“It’s pretty exciting to win it,” he said.
“It’s a special feeling.”
It was the second time he’d won the title despite injuries hampering his training.
The Mail last spoke to Pocklington in July 2009 after he competed in the World University Games finals in Belgrade, Serbia.
He had his eyes on Commonwealth Games then, but foot trouble requiring surgery in late 2010 put his dream on hold.
Pocklington bounced back to win last year’s Australian Athletics Championships.
“That was pretty amazing,” he said.
Then late last year knee problems restricted his running and vaulting training.
“It’s been a bit up and down,” he said.
“But I was able to pull it together for the big comps.”
He’s now taking a few weeks break before getting back into training for the next vaulting season – and again eyeing a place on Australia’s Commonwealth Games team, this time in 2014.
Pocklington failed to qualify for this year’s Olympics, despite being Australia’s top vaulter and Olympic gold medallist Steve Hooker sitting on the sidelines following a much talked about battle with confidence.
“You’ve still got to jump qualifiers,” Pocklington said.
“I haven’t got the Olympic standard.”
He said it was a shame that Hooker was unable to perform this season and he’d been looking forward to seeing him back at the Games.
“He’s the one that everyone looks to,” he said.
“Pole vault’s such a different event.
“You can get scared of it.
“It does take a bit to run down at full tilt and take off.”
The 175cm tall Pocklington started out in gymnastics before his dad got him into athletics at age 13.
He tried a “bit of hurdling” before turning to pole vault at 15.
“My coach just called me up out of the blue one day because he’d heard I was a gymnast and also did a bit of running for the athletics club and they’re the sort of things that you need to pole vault,” he said.
“He thought I’d be all right at it so I tried out.”