Hooker upbeat as Olympics loom
Australia's Olympic champion Steve Hooker said he was encouraged by
finishing sixth in his latest pole vault competition at the Rome Diamond
League meet, reports said Friday.
In his second international competition since returning from a bout
of the runway "yips" that forced him out of the Australian domestic
season, Hooker Thursday cleared 5.42 metres, 58 centimetres short of his
personal outdoor best.
Frenchman Renaud Lavillenie demonstrated how far Hooker needs to
progress before next month's London Olympics, clearing 5.82m.
"I've come here and I've done some good training. The body is feeling
good and I'm working with the physio over here," Hooker told the
Athletics Australia website.
"I had a really good warm-up. Everything went according to plan up
until 5.60m where I had that stop on the first attempt, which probably
cost me." Hooker said he would be working on further improvement for his
next competition in Munich on June 5.
Hooker won the Olympic gold medal in Beijing in 2008, the 2009 world
title, the 2006 and 2010 Commonwealth Games gold medals and the 2010
world indoor championships. AFP |