New Zealand pole vaulter Imogen Ayris

Imogen Ayris is a New Zealand pole vault athlete. She is a Oceania Athletics champion, three-time national champion, and won the bronze medal in the pole vault at the 2022 Commonwealth Games. Imogen Ayris was part of the New Zealand’s team for the Paris 2024 Olympics and qualified for the pole vault final. She also competed at two World Championships.

Imogen Ayris was born on December 12, 2000, in Auckland, New Zealand. She started in athletics at the age of 6, but also was a promising gymnast. She took up the pole vault when she was 13 years old.

Imogen Ayris started her competitive career in 2014, making her debut at the Auckland AAI Summer Series, winning the gold. The same season she earned the bronze at the New Zealand High School Championships. Her result at that time was 3.50m.

In 2015, she continue improving her skills and results. Imogen Ayris started the season by winning the silver at the Hamilton Porritt Classic, but later at the Auckland City Championships earned the gold in U16 event and silver at the U20 event, while at the Auckland Track Challenge grabbed the bronze. She continue by winning the pole vault gold at the Wellington New Zealand U18 and U20 Championships, before dubitting internationally at the Sydney Australian Junior Championships, winning the gold in U16 and U18 events, where improved her personal best to 3.75m. By the end of the season, she won the silver at the Timaru New Zealand High School Championships and the gold at the Auckland AAI U16 Summer Series.

Imogen Ayris started the 2016 season by winning the bronze at the Sippy Downs USC Mini Meet with 3.66m. She continue by earning the silver at the Auckland City Championships and winning the gold at the Dunedin New Zealand U18 Championships, clearing 3.80m. However, this was not her best result for the season, as she covered the 4-meter mark at the end of the year at the Auckland New Zealand High School Championships, winning the gold. Earlier she had results of 3.80m at the Auckland AAI Meet and 3.90m at the Auckland Twilight Meet.

In 2017, Imogen Ayris started strongly by winning the silver at the Hastings Potts Classic with 3.90m. At the Auckland Athletics Championships and Hamilton New Zealand U20 Championships she again earned the silver with 3.80m and 3.95m, respectively. At the Sydney Australian U18 Championships she again covered the 4-meter mark to win the gold, before winning the bronze at the Mannheim Bauhaus Juniorengala again covering 4.00m. At the Auckland Pole Vault Meet, Imogen Ayris won the silver and improved her personal best to 4.05m. She finished the season by winning another silver at the Hastings New Zealand High School Championships with 4.00m.

Imogen Ayris won her first national title in 2018, triumphing at the Hamilton New Zealand Championships, clearing a personal best of 4.15m. At the Auckland Sir Graeme Douglas International Track Challenge and Auckland Skycity Vertical Pursuit, she earned the bronze by again improving her personal best to 4.20m. In July, she made a debut at big forum, competing at the Tampere IAAF World U20 Championships. With 3.95m she finished 10th in the final. By the end of the season, she earned the gold at the Dunedin New Zealand High School Championships and the silver at the Auckland Pole Vault.

In 2019, Imogen Ayris finished 4th at the Sydney Track Classic and won the gold at the Lincoln University Street Athletics Festival in Christchurch, before claiming the silver at the Christchurch New Zealand Championships. However, her results were around 4-meter mark, but far from the personal best achieved during the previous season. After grabbing the silver at the Sir Graeme Douglas International in Auckland and the bronze at the Sydney Australian U20 Championships, Imogen Ayris failed to record a successful attempt at the Sydney Australian Championships. In June, she won the gold at the Townsville Oceania U20 Championships and debuted at the Golden Label’s meeting Townsville Oceania Championships, finishing 4th with 4.10m. During the season, she competed at the Napoli Universiade, finishing 10th with 4.11m.

Imogen Ayris started the 2020 season and won the gold at the Indoor Pole Vault of Potts Classic, clearing a personal best of 4.21m, as well as the silver at the Potts Classic in Hastings by 4.20m. At the prestigious Canberra Track Classic, she won the bronze by again improving her personal best to 4.30m. IN March she won another national title at the Christchurch New Zealand Championships with 4.25m. By the end of the season, she made some great results, winning the gold at the McKinnon Shield #3, clearing a new personal best of 4.50m, as well as winning silver at the McKinnon Shield #5 by 4.40m. She ended the season by winning the silver at the Auckland Night of 5’s with 4.40m.

Imogen Ayris had another successful season in 2021, winning her third national title at the Hastings New Zealand Championships. Meanwhile, during the year she won the silver at the Wellington Capital Classic with 4.31n and the gold at the Sir Graeme Douglas International with 4.32m. At the McKinnon Shield #9, she won the silver with 4.17m, while at the AAI Pole Vault Winter Series #1 and #2, she earned the silver. However, during the season she was not able to reach her personal best result.

In 2022, Imogen Ayris made her biggest achievement by winning the bronze at the Birmingham XXII Commonwealth Games by clearing 4.45m, as well as the silver at the Mackay Oceania Athletics Championships by covering 4.40m. During the year, she debuted at the World championships at the Eugene World Athletics Championships, but did not qualified for the finals. She ended the season by winning the silver Night of 5’s in Auckland by clearing 4.45m.

In 2023, Imogen Ayris won the silver at the Adelaide Track Classic and the bronze at the Wellington New Zealand Championships with 4.35m and 4.46m, respectively. Later, at the Athletics Auckland Inc Pole Vault Championships, she won the bronze by improving again her personal best to 4.51m. Imogen Ayris won the bronze at the Brisbane Track Classic and again improved her personal best to 4.53m at the 27. Stabhochsprungmeeting Jockgrim. She was part of the New Zealand team at the Budapest World Athletics Championships, but clearing 4.50 was not enough to qualify for the finals. By the end of the season, she finished 5th at the 59. Palio Citta’ della Quercia and 4th at the International Pole Vault for Women, but set a new personal best of 4.54m.

Imogen Ayris started the 2024 season by winning the bronze at the CMCM Indoor Meeting by 4.40m and the silver at the Folksam GP Stockholm Indoor by 4.48m. At the Sir Graeme Douglas Memorial Track Classic, she won the gold, while at the Wellington New Zealand Championships she won the silver by 4.39m. Imogen Ayris made another fantastic performance at the Meeting International de Montreuil, winning the gold with another personal best of 4.57m. In May, she debuted in the Diamond League, competing at the Meeting International Mohammed VI d’Athletisme de Rabat/Marrakech and finished 8th with 4.45m. Later during the same month, she competed at the 63rd Ostrava Golden Spike and finished 6th with 4.34m. Imogen Ayris qualified for the Paris 2024 Olympics and reached the final, where finished 12th with personal best of 4.60m. Meanwhile, during the season, she won also the gold at the Copenhagen Athletics Games, the silver at the 24th International Pole Vault Meeting for Woman in Beckum and 28. Internationales Hofer Sparkassen Stabhochsprung-Meeting, as well as the bronze at the Sky’s the Limit 2024 in Zweibrucken.

Imogen Ayris started 2025 season strongly, by winning the bronze at the prestigious Perch’Xtrem in Caen, France, by setting a personal best of 4.66m.

Imogen Ayris in numbers

1x Commonwealth Games bronze medalist
1x Oceania Athletics champion
3x National champion
Personal best: 4.66m (pole vault)

More photos of Imogen Ayris