Harry Coppell celebrates his bronze medal in the Men's Pole Vault final. Image provided by PA/Alamy.
Coppell clears 5.50m to take maiden Commonwealth medal
Pole Vaulter Harry Coppell’s clearance of 5.50m was enough to claim a maiden Commonwealth medal as the British record holder won bronze on Saturday evening.
The 26-year-old, who trains at the University, came within inches of clearing 5.65m but undeterred showed pure relief at making the podium in Birmingham.
The gruelling competition that lasted over two hours saw Australia’s Kurtis Marschall defend his title to take gold in 5.70m, with Team England’s Adam Hague taking silver in a season’s best 5.55m
“I came in with the mindset that I wanted to win. But Kurtis [Marschall, gold medallist] was going to be really hard to beat today, he looked incredible and tried the Games record,” Coppell said.
“Adam [Hague] played the competition perfectly to get that second place. I’m disappointed overall but happy for me, happy for my teammate, and Kurtis jumped brilliantly.
"It’s an incredible achievement – I didn’t make the last Commonwealth Games, I missed it by five or ten centimetres, so to be here and get a medal is incredible.”
As the 2022 Commonwealth Games heads into its penultimate day of action, Loughborough’s medal count stands at 38 – 12 gold, 14 silver, and 12 bronze.
Loughborough’s dedicated 2022 Commonwealth Games website features all the latest news, videos, and medal tables from Birmingham.
Notes for editors
Press release reference number: 22/162
Loughborough is one of the country’s leading universities, with an international reputation for research that matters, excellence in teaching, strong links with industry, and unrivalled achievement in sport and its underpinning academic disciplines.
It has been awarded five stars in the independent QS Stars university rating scheme, named the best university in the world for sports-related subjects in the 2022 QS World University Rankings and University of the Year for Sport by The Times and Sunday Times University Guide 2022.
Loughborough is in the top 10 of every national league table, being ranked 7th in The UK Complete University Guide 2022, and 10th in both the Guardian University League Table 2022 and the Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2022.
Loughborough is consistently ranked in the top twenty of UK universities in the Times Higher Education’s ‘table of tables’ and is in the top 10 in England for research intensity. In recognition of its contribution to the sector, Loughborough has been awarded seven Queen's Anniversary Prizes.
The Loughborough University London campus is based on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and offers postgraduate and executive-level education, as well as research and enterprise opportunities. It is home to influential thought leaders, pioneering researchers and creative innovators who provide students with the highest quality of teaching and the very latest in modern thinking.
Harry Coppell celebrates his bronze medal in the Men's Pole Vault final. Image provided by PA/Alamy.
Pole Vaulter Harry Coppell’s clearance of 5.50m was enough to claim a maiden Commonwealth medal as the British record holder won bronze on Saturday evening.
The 26-year-old, who trains at the University, came within inches of clearing 5.65m but undeterred showed pure relief at making the podium in Birmingham.
The gruelling competition that lasted over two hours saw Australia’s Kurtis Marschall defend his title to take gold in 5.70m, with Team England’s Adam Hague taking silver in a season’s best 5.55m
“I came in with the mindset that I wanted to win. But Kurtis [Marschall, gold medallist] was going to be really hard to beat today, he looked incredible and tried the Games record,” Coppell said.
“Adam [Hague] played the competition perfectly to get that second place. I’m disappointed overall but happy for me, happy for my teammate, and Kurtis jumped brilliantly.
"It’s an incredible achievement – I didn’t make the last Commonwealth Games, I missed it by five or ten centimetres, so to be here and get a medal is incredible.”
As the 2022 Commonwealth Games heads into its penultimate day of action, Loughborough’s medal count stands at 38 – 12 gold, 14 silver, and 12 bronze.
Loughborough’s dedicated 2022 Commonwealth Games website features all the latest news, videos, and medal tables from Birmingham.
Notes for editors
Press release reference number: 22/162
Loughborough is one of the country’s leading universities, with an international reputation for research that matters, excellence in teaching, strong links with industry, and unrivalled achievement in sport and its underpinning academic disciplines.
It has been awarded five stars in the independent QS Stars university rating scheme, named the best university in the world for sports-related subjects in the 2022 QS World University Rankings and University of the Year for Sport by The Times and Sunday Times University Guide 2022.
Loughborough is in the top 10 of every national league table, being ranked 7th in The UK Complete University Guide 2022, and 10th in both the Guardian University League Table 2022 and the Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2022.
Loughborough is consistently ranked in the top twenty of UK universities in the Times Higher Education’s ‘table of tables’ and is in the top 10 in England for research intensity. In recognition of its contribution to the sector, Loughborough has been awarded seven Queen's Anniversary Prizes.
The Loughborough University London campus is based on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and offers postgraduate and executive-level education, as well as research and enterprise opportunities. It is home to influential thought leaders, pioneering researchers and creative innovators who provide students with the highest quality of teaching and the very latest in modern thinking.
