Derek Miles wins the World Athletics Final pole vault to make up for missing out on the medals in Beijing (© Getty Images)
While his US compatriots, World champion Brad Walker and Jeff Hartwig failed to make it out of the qualification round in Beijing, US champion Derek Miles took fourth place in the Olympic final thanks to a successful second time attempt at 5.70m.
Then on 7 September, in front of the Brandenburg Gate in the German capital in a promotional competition for the 12th IAAF World Championships in Athletics, Berlin, Germany (15 – 23 August 2009), Miles soared over a personal best of 5.85m.
A week later Miles was crowned the World Athletics Final winner when taking that title with a 5.80m clearance on 14 September in Stuttgart.
Steve Landells of Spikesmag.com recently interviewed Miles to ask among other questions:
Why there had been improvements in 2008 at the age of 35?
“This year I've sorted something out technically that is making a considerable difference,” confirmed Miles. “If I can continue to develop that and make it a permanent fixture in my Pole Vault that even at my age I can jump higher. You learn something new on the technical side and it is helping me jump higher.”
“Everyone is different everyone has got a certain thing that when they do it - it clicks. It just took me a while to figure that out. It is to do with my arm positions at take off. I've got a little window of opportunity when my arms need to be in the perfect spot and when that happens my head and chest do the things that they are supposed to do. If I do that I roll the pole much better, get on bigger poles and catch the ride better.”
“Probably about 60 per cent of the time this year I would find it and about 40 per cent of the time I would miss it.”
“It's kind of exciting to learn something like that but it's just a subtle change.”
You finished fourth in Beijing. Could you talk through your post-event emotions?
“I was not so concerned about fourth. A lot of athletes get into it and say, ‘I'm in it to win’ but for me it has always been for me against the bar. For me, it wasn't about finishing fourth but knowing I could have jumped higher if I was clicking. In that competition for me it was like trying to jam a square peg in a round hole. For some reason it was just not clicking, I could just not find my rhythm down the runway and as a result it made technical side of pole vaulting very hard. I was running fast but I just couldn't find the rhythm of the run that would help me hit the take off board as I wanted to.”
“I was trying to make changes throughout the competition with my run and it just never got comfortable. I never knew why that was. I didn't jump as well as I was capable of that day. I real feel it was a missed opportunity but congratulations to the other guys that got it done.”
Future aims London 2012?
“Jeff Hartwig in 2004 was asked was he planning on 2008. He said, ‘absolutely not, no chance.’ But he went year to year and found himself in a better situation year to year and he made the (Olympic 2008) team.”
“My message is never say never but it is not a thing I'm going to focus on now. My focus is going to be year to year. I'm going to take this one step at a time and my focus is going to make that team, make the World Championships and try to medal next year.”
“If I'm competitive at the end of the season and I feel good then I'll commit to the end of the year. If I do that and I land myself in the same situation then that’s where I am. To talk about 2012 at this point is like taking it from step two to step 10.”
Steve Landells for the IAAF
To read more about Derek Miles and especially the even greater heights afforded by his passion paragliding, go to Spikesmag.com to read the following story:
