New Zealand pole vaulter Eliza McCartney
Eliza McCartney is a track and field athlete from New Zealand who specializes in the pole vault. She secured a bronze medal in this discipline at the Rio 2016 Olympics, as well as the silver at the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow 2024. Currently, she holds the New Zealand and Oceania record with a height of 4.94m, and she is recognized as the outdoor world junior record holder at 4.64m. Additionally, she earned a silver medal at the Summer Universiade in 2015 and the Commonwealth Games in 2018.
Eliza McCartney was born on December 11, 1996, in Auckland, New Zealand. In her youth, she participated in various sports such as cross country running, basketball, touch rugby, squash, tennis, swimming, and water polo. Ultimately, she transitioned to track and field, achieving success as a high jumper during her early teenage years before starting pole vaulting in 2011.
Eliza McCartney started her competitive career in 2011, winning the pole vault gold at the Auckland City Championships with 3.30m and Sydney Australian U16 Championships with 3.40m. By the end of the season, she won the gold at the Dunedin New Zealand U17 Championships and the silver at the Wellington New Zealand High School Championships.
In 2012, Eliza McCartney continue gaining experience and dominated the junior championships, winning the gold at the Sydney Australian U17 Championships, Waitakere New Zeeland U18 Championships, and Dunedin New Zealand Secondary Schools Championships, clearing 3.85m and setting a new personal best.
Eliza McCartney improved her performance in 2013 and covered the 4-meter mark at the Cooks Classic, winning the gold with 4.01m. Locally, she won the gold at the Hamilton Porritt Classic, Auckland New Zealand U18 Championships, Auckland Summer Series, Hamilton NZSS Track & Field Championships, and Auckland Summer Series, before competing at the international Donetsk IAAF World Youth Championships, where finished 4th with 4.05m. During the season she improved her personal best to 4.11m.
In 2014, Eliza McCartney made her breakthrough in the pole vault, winning the bronze at the Eugene IAAF World Junior Championships with 4.45m, setting a new personal best and hinting about her skills and showing her development. Meanwhile, she debuted at the senior Melbourne Australian Championships, but did not recorded a successful attempt in the final. During the season, she also won the gold at the prestigious Burnaby Harry Jerome International Track Classic.
Eliza McCartney made a fantastic 2015 season by winning her second big honor from international forum, earning the silver at the Gwangju Universiade with 4.40m. During the season, she continue improving her skills and results and at the end of the year cleared the fantastic 4.64m at the Auckland AAI Summer Series, setting a new personal best and winning the gold. Meanwhile, she won the silver at the Auckland Track Challenge and Wellington New Zealand U20 Championships, as well as the gold at the Gold Coast Winter Meet, Hamilton Porritt Classic, and Wellington Capital Classic.
Eliza McCartney continue beating her results during the 2016. She cleared 4.71m for the gold at the Auckland Vertical Pursuit Pole Vault Meet and 4.80m for her first senior national title at the Dunedin New Zealand Championships, which was her personal best. She competed at the Portland IAAF World Indoor Championships, but after clearing 4.70m narrowly missed the podium and finished 5th. At her debut in the Diamond League, she finished 5th at the Monaco Herculis with 4.55m. However, a few weeks later, Eliza McCartney won her first Diamond League’s honor at the London Muller Anniversary Games, finishing third with 4.62m. At the end of the season, she made her biggest pole vault achievement, winning the bronze at the Rio 2016 Olympics, reaching again her personal best of 4.80m.
Eliza McCartney started the 2017 season by winning about national title at the Hamilton New Zealand Championships, before winning the bronze at the Diamond League’s Roma Golden Gala – Pietro Mennea with 4.75m. She continue competing at the Diamond League’s meetings in Oslo and Stockholm, but missed the podium. At the end of the season, she competed at the London IAAF World Championships in Athletics, finishing 9th in the final with 4.55m.
In 2018, Eliza McCartney won the silver at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games, before improving her personal best to 4.85m at the Diamond League’s Eugene Prefontaine Classic, where earned the silver. A few weeks ago, she won the gold at the Mannheim Bauhaus and again improved her best result to 4.92m and in mid-July cleared 4.94m at the Jockgrim Stabhochsprung-Meeting, which is the current New Zealand and Oceania record.
Eliza McCartney started the 2019 season strongly by winning the gold at the Potts Classic in Hastings with 4.85m. However, by the end of the season she did not recorded any successful attempt in three more meetings – Track Classic in Sydney, Dimond League’s Meeting de Paris, and Weltklasse Zurich.
Eliza McCartney missed the 2020 season and returned in the track and field in 2021, winning the gold at the McKinnon Shield #9 in Auckland and the bronze at the AAI Pole Vault Winter Series #1. However, her results were quite lower. An achilles tendon injury in March 2021 prevented her from competing in the Tokyo Olympics. The same injury prevented McCartney from competing in the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
Eliza McCartney returned to competitive athletics in 2023, winning the gold at the Potts Classic in Hastings and Wellington New Zealand Championships, clearing 4.61m. She won the gold at the Sir Graeme Douglas International in Auckland, and Brisbane Track Classic, covering already 4.71m, and later cleared 4.75m at the Brisbane Australian Championships. Eliza McCartney returned to form and won the bronze at the Diamond League’s Athletissima Lausanne, the gold at the MÃting Internacional d’Atletisme Ciutat de Barcelona, Night of Athletics in Heusden-Zolder, and Meeting International Schifflange, as well as the silver at the Spitzen Leichathletik Luzern. She competed also at the Budapest World Athletics Championships, but did not overcome the qualifications.
In 2024, Eliza McCartney competed at her second Olympics, being part of the Team France for Paris Games. She reached the finals and finished 6th with 4.70m. However, her biggest achievement during the year was winning the silver at the Glasgow World Athletics Indoor Championships with 4.80m. Meanwhile, during the season she won the gold at the Meeting Hauts-de-France Pas-de-Calais Trophee EDF and Wellington New Zealand Championships, as well as the silver at the Meeting de L’Eure in Val-de-Reuil.
In 2025, Eliza McCartney won another national title at the Dunedin New Zealand Championships an competed at the Tokyo World Athletics Championships, where reached the final, but did not record a successful attempt.
Eliza McCartney in numbers
1x Olympics bronze medalist
1x World Indoor Championships silver medalist
1x World U20 Championships bronze medalist
1x Commonwealth Games silver medalist
1x Summer Universiade silver medalist
5x National champion
Personal best: 4.94m (pole vault, AR, NR)
More photos of Eliza McCartney
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