Jillian Schwartz

Last updated

Jillian Schwartz
JillianSchwartz DSC3012 799 1200.jpg
Jillian Schwartz, 2012
Personal information
CitizenshipIsrael
Born (1979-09-19) September 19, 1979 (age 44)
Evanston, Illinois, United States
Alma mater Duke University
Years active1999–2012
Height1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)
Weight63 kg (139 lb)
Sport
CountryFlag of Israel.svg  Israel
Sport Track and field
Event pole vault
College team Duke Blue Devils
Retired2012
Achievements and titles
Personal best4.72 m
Medal record
Representing Flag of the United States.svg  United States
Maccabiah Games
Women's athletics
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2009 Tel Aviv Pole vault
Updated on 20 February 2015.

Jillian Schwartz (born September 19, 1979) is an American-born female former pole vaulter who competed internationally for Israel. She represented the United States at the 2004 Summer Olympics and competed at five consecutive World Championships in Athletics from 2003 to 2011. Her best placing in international competition was fourth at the 2004 IAAF World Indoor Championships.

Contents

She competed at the NCAA Championships while at Duke University and gained All-America honours on three occasions. Although she never won at a USATF Championships event, she took the runner-up spot on three occasions at both the USA Outdoor and USA Indoor Championships. Her personal best mark is 4.72 m, set indoors in Jonesboro, Arkansas in 2008. After gaining Israeli citizenship in 2010, she set Israeli records of 4.60 m in the pole vault both outdoors and indoors and competed for Israel at the 2011 World Championships in Athletics and 2012 Summer Olympics.

Career

Early life and college

Born in Evanston, Illinois, and Jewish, she was raised in Lake Forest. [1] She wanted to take up pole vaulting at Lake Forest High School, but was not allowed as the girl's pole vault was not permitted in Illinois until 1997. She moved to Arkansas in order to train in the discipline. [2] Schwartz attended Duke University and became the first woman to win an Eastern College Athletic Conference title for the Duke Blue Devils in 1999. [3] The following year she won the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) pole vault title and came third at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championship. She attended the United States Olympic Trials for the first time in 2000, but failed to register a height. [4] In her final year at Duke, in 2001, she set university records of 4.10 m indoors and 4.32 m outdoors, as well as winning the ACC outdoor and indoor titles. [3] She claimed second place at the NCAA Outdoors and signed with Nike that summer, deciding to turn professional. [4]

Olympic and World Championship competition

She was the runner-up at the 2002 USA Indoor Track and Field Championships behind Mary Sauer and improved her outdoor best to 4.50 m. However, she only managed tenth place at the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships that year. She placed sixth at the 2003 USA Indoors but rebounded with a second-place finish at the outdoor nationals. [3] This gained her a place on the team for the 2003 World Championships in Athletics and she came eighth in the qualifying round of the vault. [5] The 2004 season proved to be her breakthrough year as she was runner-up to Stacy Dragila at the USA Indoor Championships and then placed fourth at the 2004 IAAF World Indoor Championships, vaulting a personal best mark of 4.60 m. [6] She achieved the same mark outdoors to take second at the Prefontaine Classic and was runner-up to Dragila at the 2004 Olympic Trials, securing her first Olympic berth. [3] She cleared 4.30 m in the qualifying rounds of the 2004 Athens Olympics, but this was not enough to make the final. [7]

Schwartz did not compete indoors in 2005 but managed to finish in the top three at the USA Outdoors. One of three Americans in the women's pole vault at the 2005 World Championships in Athletics (along with Dragila and Tracy O'Hara), she finished second in the qualifying but could not repeat her form in the final round, ending up in eleventh place. [5] [8] She became the Voluntary Assistant Coach for the Columbia University track and field team in 2008. [9] She was the runner-up at both the national outdoor and indoor championships in 2006 and improved her best by a centimeter to 4.61 m in Jonesboro, Arkansas. She competed at the 2006 IAAF World Indoor Championships, but did not make it into the final on this occasion. She also made appearances on the 2006 IAAF Golden League circuit [3]

Her progress stagnated in 2007 as she failed to clear higher than 4.50 m. Still, she took third place at the USA Outdoors and competed at the 2007 World Championships, where she achieved her season's best of 4.50 m in qualifying. [3] She started 2008 with a big personal best indoors in Jonesboro, improving 12 cm with a clearance of 4.72 m. [5] She was again the runner-up at the USA Indoors, this time behind Jennifer Stuczynski. [10] At the 2008 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Valencia, Spain, she was eliminated once again at the qualifying stage. [5] She set her sights on making the team for the 2008 Beijing Olympics and had podium finishes at the Reebok Grand Prix and the Adidas Track Classic. [3] However, she came fourth at the 2008 United States Olympic Trials, being beaten by the less-established April Steiner Bennett and Erica Bartolina. [11]

She came fourth at the 2009 USA Outdoor Championships, but was gifted a place at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics as the reigning US Champion Stuczynski withdrew due to injury. [12] Schwartz vaulted 4.50 m at the championships in Berlin, just missing the qualifying mark by 5 cm. [5]

Move to Israel

She competed at the 2009 Maccabiah Games in Israel and won the pole vault gold medal for the United States. Officials approached her about a possible move to compete for Israel and she agreed, seeing it as a better chance to participate at the 2012 London Olympics given the strong competition for a place in the United States. [13]

She gained Israeli citizenship and switched nationality in preparation for the 2010 season. She set an Israeli record mark of 4.60 m indoors in Jonesboro in May 2010 and then set an outdoor record of 4.60 m to win at the Adidas Grand Prix Diamond League meet. She won her first national title at the Israeli Athletics Championships in June. Other performances that year included at win at the Vardinoyiannia and runner-up at the London Grand Prix Diamond League. [5]

In the 2011 season she cleared 4.50 m early in the season and won at the 2011 European Team Championships 3rd League, but she did not reach higher as the year progressed, finishing second at the national championships and being eliminated in qualifying at the 2011 World Championships in Athletics. She opened 2012 with a win at the U.S. Open Track and Field in January in a season's best of 4.52 m. Again her early performances remained the best of the year, as she finished eleventh at both the 2012 IAAF World Indoor Championships and 2012 European Athletics Championships. She did, however, manage to win her second national title and make her Olympic debut for Israel at the 2012 London Games, competing in qualifying only. She retired from the sport after the Olympics. [5]

International competitions

YearCompetitionVenuePositionNotes
Representing Flag of the United States.svg  United States
2003 World Championships Paris, France 18th (q) 4.15 m
2004 World Indoor Championships Budapest, Hungary 4th 4.60 m
Olympic Games Athens, Greece 17th (q) 4.30 m
2005 World Championships Helsinki, Finland 11th 4.20 m
2006 World Indoor Championships Moscow, Russia 10th (q) 4.35 m
2007 World Championships Osaka, Japan 15th (q) 4.50 m
2008 World Indoor Championships Valencia, Spain 11th (q) 4.35 m
2009 World Championships Berlin, Germany 14th (q) 4.50 m
Representing Flag of Israel.svg  Israel
2011 2011 European Team Championships 3rd League Reykjavik, Iceland1st4.10 m
World Championships Daegu, South Korea 25th (q) 4.25 m
2012 World Indoor Championships Istanbul, Turkey 11th 4.45 m
European Championships Helsinki, Finland 11th 4.10 m
Olympic Games London, United Kingdom 18th (q) 4.40 m

National titles

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yelena Isinbayeva</span> Russian female Olympic pole-vaulter

Yelena Gadzhievna Isinbayeva is a Russian former pole vaulter. She is a two-time Olympic gold medalist, a three-time World Champion, the world record holder in the event, and is widely considered the greatest female pole-vaulter of all time. Isinbayeva was banned from the 2016 Rio Olympics after revelations of an extensive state-sponsored doping program in Russia, thus dashing her hopes of a grand retirement after winning the Olympic gold medal. She retired from athletics in August 2016 after being elected to serve an 8-year term on the IOC's Athletes' Commission.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stacy Dragila</span> American pole vaulter

Stacy Renée Mikaelson known as Stacy Renée Dragila is a former American pole vaulter. She is an Olympic gold medalist and a multiple-time world champion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Silke Spiegelburg</span> German pole vaulter

Silke Spiegelburg is a German pole vaulter. She is the younger sister of Richard Spiegelburg. She represented Germany at the Summer Olympics in 2004, 2008 and 2012, as well as having competed at the World Championships in Athletics. She is a European silver medallist in the event both indoors and outdoors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jenn Suhr</span> American pole vaulter

Jennifer Lynn Suhr is an American former pole vaulter. She has been an Olympic and World champion, has been ranked #1 in the World, has been the #1 American pole vaulter since 2006, and has won a total of 17 US National Championships. She holds the world indoor pole vault record at 5.03 m. She holds the American women's pole vault record indoors. In 2008, she won the U.S. Olympic trials, setting an American record of 4.92 m and won a silver medal in the Beijing Olympics. She won the gold medal at the London Olympics on August 6, 2012. Track & Field News named her American Female Athlete of the Year for 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yarisley Silva</span> Cuban pole vaulter

Yarisley Silva Rodríguez is a Cuban pole vaulter. She won the silver medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics – the first Latin American athlete to win an Olympic medal in that event.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anna Giordano Bruno</span> Italian pole vaulter

Anna Giordano Bruno is a retired Italian track and field athlete who specialised in the pole vault.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philipa Raschker</span> German-born American masters athlete (born 1947)

Eileen-Philippa "Phil" Raschker is a German-born American masters athlete.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tina Šutej</span> Slovenian pole vaulter

Tina Šutej is a Slovenian pole vaulter. She won bronze medals at the 2022 World Indoor Championships and 2022 European Championships. Šutej earned a silver at the 2021 European Indoor Championships and again in 2023.

Lacy Janson is an American track and field athlete who specialized in the pole vault. She was the 2010 USA indoor champion in the event and represented her country at the 2010 IAAF World Indoor Championships. At college level, she won both an outdoor and an indoor NCAA title for Florida State University.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Holly Bradshaw</span> British pole vaulter

Holly Bethan Bradshaw is a British track and field athlete who specialises in the pole vault. She is the current British record holder in the event indoors and outdoors, with clearances of 4.87 metres and 4.90 metres. Bradshaw won a bronze medal at the 2020 Summer Olympics. She also won bronze at the 2012 World Indoor Championships, gold at the 2013 European Indoor Championships, bronze at the 2018 European Championships, and silver at the 2019 European Indoor Championships. She also won at the 2018 Athletics World Cup. Coached by Scott Simpson, she has been consistently ranked among the world's best and has been ranked in the world top ten on the Track and Field News merit rankings four times.

Alice Schmidt Kehaya is an American middle distance runner who specializes in the 800 meters. She represented the United States at the 2008 Summer Olympics and 2012 London Olympics and has competed at the World Championships in Athletics on three occasions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mary Saxer</span>

Mary Saxer is an American track and field athlete who competes in the pole vault. She holds a personal record of 4.71 m for the event, set in 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tori Bowie</span> American sprinter and long jumper (1990–2023)

Frentorish "Tori" Bowie was an American track and field athlete, who primarily competed in the long jump, 100 meters, and 200 meters. She won the silver medal in the 100 m and bronze in the 200 m at the 2016 Rio Olympics, bronze and gold in the 100 m at the 2015 and 2017 World Championships, respectively, and also earned gold medals as part of U.S. women's 4 × 100 m relays at both the 2016 Olympic Games and 2017 World Championships.

Mark Hollis is an American track and field athlete who competes in the pole vault. His personal best for the event is 5.83 m, set in 2014. He finished third at the 2014 IAAF Continental Cup.

Jacob "Jake" Blankenship is an American track and field athlete who competes in the pole vault. He holds a personal record of 5.80 m for the event, set in 2015. He placed third at the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in 2015.

The 2006 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships was organised by USA Track & Field and held from June 22 to 25 at the IU Michael A. Carroll Track & Soccer Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana. The four-day competition served as the national championships in track and field for the United States. As there was no Summer Olympics or World Championships in Athletics held that year, the competition did not serve as a national team selection event.

Demi Payne is an American track and field athlete whose specialty is pole vaulting. She is the daughter of American pole vaulter Bill Payne. Payne competed collegiately for Stephen F. Austin State University. She competed in the pole vault event at the 2015 World Championships in Athletics in Beijing, China. Demi Payne won gold medal on March 1, 2015 2015 USA Indoor Track and Field Championships Pole Vault with a height of 4.55 m. She won a bronze medal June 28, 2015 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships Pole Vault with a height of 4.60 m

Gabriela Mihalcea is a Romanian former track and field athlete who competed in the high jump and pole vault. She holds the Romanian record of 4.25 m for the pole vault. She was two-time national champion in high jump and a six-time pole vault champion.

Kylie Nicole Hutson is an American track and field athlete who competes in the pole vault. She was the national champion in the event in 2011 and represented the United States at the World Championships in Athletics in 2011 and 2013. She won four NCAA collegiate titles while at Indiana State University. Her personal records are 4.75 m indoors and 4.70 m outdoors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scott Houston (athlete)</span> American pole vaulter

Scott Houston is an American track and field athlete who competes in the pole vault. He was the American national indoor champion in 2018. He competed collegiately for both the North Carolina Tar Heels and the Indiana Hoosiers. Houston has also coached collegiate pole vaulters.

References

  1. "Jewish-American pole vaulter heads for second Olympics — this time for Israel".
  2. Jillian Schwartz. Jewish Virtual Library. Retrieved on January 27, 2011.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Jillian Schwartz. USATF. Retrieved on January 27, 2011.
  4. 1 2 Roth, John (June 23, 2008). Roth: Schwartz Aims For Second Olympics. Duke Blue Devils. Retrieved on January 27, 2011.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Schwartz, Jillian. IAAF. Retrieved on January 27, 2011.
  6. 2004 World Indoor Championships – Women Pole Vault Final. IAAF (March 6, 2004). Retrieved on January 27, 2011.
  7. Jillian Schwartz Archived July 11, 2012, at the Wayback Machine . Sports-Reference. Retrieved January 27, 2011.
  8. 2005 World Championships – Pole Vault – W Qualification. IAAF. Retrieved on January 27, 2011.
  9. Jillian Schwartz. Go Columbia Lions. Retrieved on January 27, 2011.
  10. 2008 USA Indoor Championships – Women Pole Vault. USATF. Retrieved on January 28, 2011.
  11. 2008 US Olympic Trials – Women Pole Vault. USATF. Retrieved on January 28, 2011.
  12. Jennifer Stuczynski Withdraws From World Championships. All-Athletics. Retrieved on January 28, 2011.
  13. Jillian Schwartz wants to compete for Israel. All-Athletics (December 17, 2009). Retrieved on January 27, 2011.