INTERVIEW - "As soon as your thoughts wander, it becomes dangerous," says European champion Angelica Moser about the pole vault

Angelica Moser, how does one come up with the idea of ​​catapulting oneself into the air with a pole?

The fascination is that it's a little crazy. It's not your run-of-the-mill athletics, just running straight or in circles. We also have the acrobatic and gymnastic elements involved, which makes this discipline special. I came from a gymnastics background, so I was predestined for pole vaulting.

When did you first feel like you were flying?

At first, you can barely make it to the mat; you're doing a cross on a pole that doesn't even bend. You get a slight hint of flying for the first time when the pole starts to bend. You notice that the pole is giving something back; you're being catapulted a little. That's still the cool moment for me today: when the pole straightens and gives me energy back.

You were an artistic gymnast first: Which feeling of flying is better – that of flying 4 meters 80 above the bar or that of somersaulting and twisting through the air?

I think both are cool, which is why I love both sports. It's an unusual feeling to be in the air and find your bearings.

Can you actually enjoy the flight when crossing the bar?

If you get over it, yes. We see whether the bar stayed up or not. And that's why we often celebrate in the air. That's pretty cool.

Have you ever had the perfect jump? How does it feel?

No, no! That's illusory. You think you'll eventually achieve the perfect jump. But even with my best attempt so far, there were still many things that could be a little better. These little tweaks are part of the fascination of this discipline.

Keystone

Angelica Moser began her athletic career as a gymnast, but soon switched to pole vaulting, winning gold at the Youth Olympic Games in her first international competition at the age of 16. Since then, the now 27-year-old has won eight international titles, most recently becoming European Champion in 2024. She also holds the national record with a jump of 4.88 meters.

What do you still need to jump 5 meters high?

I still need to fine-tune every little detail. Starting with the speed of the approach, then the entry and takeoff – I need to capture the energy a little better and transfer it to the pole. Pole vaulting is very close to physics. It's about transferring the energy to the pole without loss and then returning it perfectly.

How much is this magical limit of 5 meters a mental one?

Five meters – that's quite a dream. Four women have achieved that so far; it's a very, very exclusive group. If I ever become part of it, it would mean a lot to me. But I think step by step and don't always have that goal in mind.

How high do you jump in training?

Not as high as in competition. I never use bars as hard as in competition because the adrenaline makes me run up a bit faster. I don't take as many risks in training either.

How many jumps do you do in a workout? How many jumps can you actually do per day?

In one day?! Normally we only jump twice a week, and in certain phases, three times. It's mentally very demanding, because I can't do a single jump without giving 100 percent. The discipline isn't without its risks, so I have to be fully focused. As soon as my mind wanders, it becomes dangerous.

How much of your training involves jumping, and what else do you do?

I usually do nine to ten training sessions, two of which are pole vaulting. What we often do is run with the pole or perform very specific exercises without jumping. I also do sprint and strength training. And during preseason, I dedicate one training session per week to gymnastics.

What do you think when you see Armand Duplantis flying, whose world record is 6.29 meters?

It looks so easy! He's so fast and has the technique that suits him perfectly. Sometimes it makes me think: Why am I bothering with all the details when it's so easy for him? It's exciting to think about what I could adopt. Or to compare him to another athlete who does many things differently. In our sport, there isn't one technique that works for everyone.

Does it bother you when people clap in the wrong rhythm when they start running?

You have to be able to tune that out, because you wouldn't believe how many people aren't able to clap in rhythm. They usually increase the frequency very quickly—and that's completely out of step with the rhythm we're supposed to be running at. You have to try to decouple that noise from what's happening with your legs. Otherwise, it won't work at all.

But you're asking people to clap?

We try to set the rhythm, but voilà . . . It's definitely cool, it supports us. You just have to separate it from the run-up. That works relatively well.

What do you think during a jump?

Especially the jump itself. I go through the most important points, which I call "Qs." I have to be thinking about them at the moment, otherwise I won't do them correctly. For example, that the first few steps of the run-up are extremely powerful, and that I increase my speed at the end of the run-up. During the jump, everything happens so quickly that there might still be room for a thought. That's why when my coach Adrian Rothenbühler gives me corrections, they're only one or two things per jump; you can't implement more than that at once.

You once broke your pole, and you seriously injured yourself. How traumatic was the aftermath?

Meanwhile, it is good.

And immediately afterward?

Amazingly, it wasn't that bad. It took some getting used to before I could jump at 100 percent again. But it wasn't so much the broken pole that caused me problems. It's mainly the jumps where I make a mistake myself and fall as a result. I was able to write the broken pole off as an occupational hazard. We know it can happen. And we know: the likelihood of it happening again is very small. Most of the time, it goes without injury; you might get a few bruises. You shouldn't be afraid of that, because there's nothing you can do about it.

What do you do after a fall to regain confidence?

You have to think: What happened? And why did it happen? Usually, you pick a harder bar, with which you're supposed to do exactly the same thing as before, but you want to give it more, force something, tense up... And then it happens. After that, there's often a phase where you run under the bar two or three times during training instead of jumping off. Once you've jumped once, it's usually fine again.

The broken pole had nothing to do with any mistake on your part; it was a serious accident. Did you work through it with your mental coach?

I work with her very needs-based. If I feel like I need something, I approach her. After breaking my pole, I jumped for a year with 98 or 99 percent confidence, always with the handbrake on ever so slightly. I got rid of that with mental training – and with the confidence that returned with good jumps.

A crucial phase of pole vaulting is running at full speed into a hard pole. How much courage does that require?

At first, the pole doesn't bend at all because you lack the technique. Then it slowly starts to bend. It's a gradual process, so you don't have to force it. You hold the pole a little higher, then a little higher again, and eventually you'll reach the full bend. But you shouldn't be afraid when practicing this discipline.

How important is jumping power? Is it necessary when you're catapulted into the air by the pole?

We train a lot of jumping power, but also to develop speed in the run-up. At the end, you do take off, but much less forcefully than in the high jump or long jump. We try to maintain speed, but we have to take off to change direction.

How difficult is it to sprint with a pole over four meters long in your hand?

For me, this is normal now. When I have to sprint without a pole, I don't know what to do with my arms. But if you give a pole to someone who's a good sprinter, it's difficult for them. The position is unfamiliar, and when you lower the pole, the leverage creates quite a lot of force. It's relatively easy for me; the difference between sprinting with and without a pole is small for me.

How exactly does your artistic gymnastics background help you?

From the moment I leave the ground, the movement that then occurs on the bar is very similar to a free swing in gymnastics. I've done a lot of those in my life, and I still practice them. Gymnastics also helps me with orientation in the air; I can judge where I am extremely well in any situation. And: If something goes wrong, I know how to fall.

At what point do you know if a jump will be good?

You only know whether it's over once you're over the bar. But in training, "good" doesn't always mean that you'll clear it. It's more about executing things well: transferring energy to the pole, executing a movement well. You feel that pretty quickly. For me, the last few steps of the approach are crucial. If I'm too late or too close during the entry and takeoff, the pole hits me, and then there's not much I can do.

Can you make any adjustments while you're in the air?

Certain things, yes. You can slow down a bit or move forward faster, you can look for the bar at lower altitudes. But as soon as you get higher, you have little room to maneuver. A lot depends on what you do on the ground.

Is the solidarity among female pole vaulters as strong as it seems to be among men?

I think the boys are still a bit more chilled out than the women, but we have it pretty good, too. We spend so much time at the competition grounds, and we talk to each other at meetings at the beginning of the season. It's more or less always the same people at the competitions, and sometimes funny things happen, which brings us closer together. That's why we're more relaxed than, for example, the sprinters. They come out, run their 100 meters, and leave again. We're on the field together for three hours. Of course, everyone wants to get the best out of themselves, but that doesn't mean we can't get along as people.

The sprinters cultivate their aggressiveness to some extent. It would probably be difficult to maintain that for three hours.

You just lose energy. I think the throwers, the pole vaulters, and the all-around athletes are the chilled-out types in track and field.

Collaboration: Eva Breitenstein