The Summer Olympics are less than a month away, and Katie Nageotte is officially headed to Tokyo. On June 26, while competing in triple-digit temperatures, the 29-year-old pole vaulter clenched a spot on Team USA after jumping a career-best 16 feet, 2.75 inches. It’s the top clearance in the world this year and an Olympic Trials record – and Nageotte’s visibly emotional reaction was certainly a highlight during an otherwise thrilling weekend of competition.
“No words. Just this,” Nageotte captioned a photo of her midair celebration, adding in another post: “When the dream, that turned into a goal, became a reality. We did it. OLYMPIAN.”
Nageotte has been working toward the Olympics for the past five years after finishing just off the podium, in fifth, at the 2016 Olympic Trials. She’s a native of Olmsted Falls, OH, and a graduate of Ashland University, where she won two NCAA DII National Championships in pole vaulting. Nageotte will be joined in Tokyo by Morgann LeLeux, who took second place at the Trials, and Sandi Morris, who won silver at the 2016 Rio Olympics. The Tokyo Olympics are set to begin on July 23, with the pole vault qualifying round on Aug. 2 and the finals on Aug. 5.
After an unbelievable performance at the Olympic Trials, we can’t wait to see what heights Nageotte will clear next – but for now, find us scrolling through the images of her winning jump and the celebration that followed.
To learn more about all the Olympic hopefuls, visit TeamUSA.org. The Tokyo Olympics begin July 23 on NBC.