Canadian athlete Alysha Newman

Alysha Newman is a distinguished Canadian athlete specializing in track and field, particularly in the pole vault discipline. She represented Canada at the Rio 2016, Tokyo 2020, and Paris 2024 Olympics. She claimed the pole vault bronze at the Paris Olympics in 2024 and and became Commonwealth Games champion in 2018, setting a new Games record with a height of 4.75m.

Born on June 29, 1994, in London, Ontario, Canada, Alysha Eveline Newman began her athletic journey in gymnastics at a young age. However, at the age of 13, she transitioned to track and field, focusing on pole vaulting.

During her collegiate career, she emerged as the Mid-American Conference champion and participated in the NCAA tournament. Newman notably cleared 4.60m, which not only broke the University of Miami’s school record but also set new records for the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and Canadian national standards in the women’s pole vault. She earned a silver medal at the 2016 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships and concluded her college tenure as a six-time NCAA Division I All-American.

At the 2014 Commonwealth Games, Alysha Newman took part in the pole vault event and earned a bronze medal. During the same season, she triumphed with gold medals at the Coral Gables Miami Invitational, the Atlanta Georgia Tech Invitational, and the Guelph Speed River Twilight, in addition to winning silver at the Gainesville Florida Relays and the Chapel Hill ACC Championship.

In 2016, Alysha Newman achieved victories at the Edmonton Canadian Championships and the Bolton Pole Vault All-Comers, as well as at the Bolton Pole Vault Season Opener.

In the following two seasons (2017-2018), she consistently delivered strong performances, clinching titles at the Montreal Grand Prix d’Athletisme, the Toronto Fred Foot Memorial, the Ottawa Canadian Championships, and the Bolton Pole Vault Outdoor Classic in 2017. Her achievements extended into 2018, where she won at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games, the Windsor Can Am Classic, the Fayetteville Tyson Invitational, and the Toronto Pole Vault Invitational.

Alysha Newman experienced her most triumphant season in 2019, clinching victories at the Paavo Nurmi Games and the Meeting de Paris, where she set a personal record. Furthermore, she attained a third-place finish at the Pan American Games. This season also marked her debut in the Diamond League, where she garnered silver medals at the Stabhochsprung-Meeting and the Muller Grand Prix, in addition to winning gold at the Meeting de Paris.

During the Tokyo 2020 Olympics held in 2021, she competed but was unable to earn a medal. However, she successfully claimed third place at the Villa de Madrid event within the World Athletics Indoor Tour.

Alysha Newman started the 2022 season by competing mostly in the combined events, claiming the pentathlon gold at the Toronto York Winter Invitational, while during the Summer season finished 4th in heptathlon at the NACAC Combined Events Championships in Ottawa. She competed also at the pole vault event of the Birmingham XXII Commonwealth Games, finishing 6th, and Eugene World Athletics Championships, where did not reached the final.

Alysha Newman returned to pole vault event in 2023, winning the gold at the 40th Annual Can Am Classic, World Indoor Tour Madrid 2023, and Birmingham World Indoor Tour Final 2023, silver at the Meeting de l’Eure and Meeting de Paris, as well as the bronze at the Meeting Hauts-de-France Pas-de-Calais. She continue the season by finishing second at the Los Angeles USATF Los Angeles Grand Prix and winning the gold at the International Rottacher Stabhochsprungmeeting. Alysha Newman claimed another national title at the Langley Canadian Championships and also competed at the Budapest World Athletics Championships.

In 2024, Alysha Newman had her biggest achievement so far, winning the pole vault bronze at the Paris Olympics with 4.85m, which is her personal best. Meanwhile, during the season, she won the gold medals at the IFAM Gent Indoor, Mondeville Meeting, All Star Perche by SCC, Edmonton Athletics Invitational, the silver at the NG Valentine Indoor Meet and Bob Vigars Classic, and the bronze at the Turku Paavo Nurmi Games, but also claimed another title at the Montreal Canadian Championships. Among the top achievements during the season was the Diamond League’s pole vault silver in London and Zurich and the bronze in Rome. Alysha Newman also finished third in the Diamond League Final in Bruxelles.

Alysha Newman in numbers

1x Olympics bronze medalist
1x Pan American bronze medalist
1x Diamond League winner
1x Commonwealth Games champion
6x National champion
Personal best: 4.85m (pole vault)

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