Zach McWhorter

Last updated
Zach McWhorter
Zach McWhorter 2023 World Athletics Championships.jpg
McWhorter at the 2023 World Athletics Championships
Personal information
Nationality Flag of the United States.svg   United States
Born7 January 1999 (25 years, 237 days old) [1]
Danville, Pennsylvania [ citation needed ]
Home town Springdale, Arkansas [2]
Education
Height178 cm (5 ft 10 in) [1]
Weight73 kg (161 lb) [1]
Sport
Sport Athletics
Event Pole vault
Coached by Stephani Perkins [3]
Rick McWhorter [4]
Achievements and titles
National finals
Personal bestPole vault:
5.86 m (2023)

Zach McWhorter (born 7 January 1999) is an American pole vaulter. [5] At the 2023 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships he placed second behind Olympic silver medalist Chris Nilsen, with a clearance of 5.86 m. This earned him a spot on the United States team at the 2023 World Athletics Championships, where he would go on to place 8th overall. [6]

Contents

McWhorter has set the record for the top left-handed pole vault clearance, surpassing the previous mark of 5.80m set by Australian Olympic pole vaulter Simon Arkell. [7]

Career

As a prep at Har-Ber High School, McWhorter was a four-time Arkansas Activities Association state champion in the pole vault, and placed second at the New Balance Nationals Indoor championship meet. [2] In 2016, he won the USATF under-18 championships in the pole vault. [2]

McWhorter signed with the BYU Cougars track and field team, and started competing in late 2019 after his Mormon misson. [8] In September 2019, he was impaled by his pole and required 18 stitches to his groin. The incident was captured on video and posted to TikTok, where it went viral. [3]

He returned for the 2021 NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships, finishing 2nd with a 5.80 m clearance which also qualified him for the 2021 United States Olympic trials. [3] [9] At the trials, McWhorter cleared 5.40 m on his second attempt but could not clear 5.50 m, placing 19th and ultimately failing to make the 2021 U.S. Olympic team. [1] [10]

McWhorter won his first senior national medal at the 2022 USA Indoor Track and Field Championships, placing 3rd behind Chris Nilsen and KC Lightfoot  –although as it was an indoor championship, only the top two were selected to represent the U.S. at the 2022 World Athletics Indoor Championships. [11] He went on to finish runner-up again at the 2022 NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships with a 5.70 m clearance. [12]

McWhorter's greatest achievement the following year came at the 2023 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. After clearing 5.76 m and 5.81 m each on his second attempt, he attempted 5.86 m, a new personal best, and managed to clear the bar on his third and final attempt. This earned him runner-up status behind Chris Nilsen and a spot on his first national team at the 2023 World Athletics Championships. [13] At the world championships, he finished 6th in qualification and 8th in the finals. [14]

Personal life

McWhorter grew up in Springdale, Arkansas and attended Har-Ber High School. [13] After his high school graduation in 2017, he took a hiatus from pole vaulting to embark on a two-year volunteer mission in Indonesia. He resumed his athletic journey in 2019 when he enrolled at Brigham Young University. During his tenure there, he distinguished himself as a two-time silver medalist at the NCAA Division I Men's Indoor Track and Field Championships. [15] [16] In January 2023, McWhorter commenced a master's program at Duke University and intended to compete for their track and field team. However, after just two weeks, he opted to leave the program to dedicate himself fully to pole vaulting. [17]

McWhorter is coached by his father Rick McWhorter, who was also a top-10 pole vaulter for the BYU Cougars. [4] [2]

Statistics

Personal best progression

Pole Vault progression
#MarkPl.CompetitionVenueDateRef.
14.75 mSilver medal icon.svgUSATF Youth Championships Lisle, IL 29 Jun 2015 [18]
24.87 m=Bronze medal icon.svgUCS Spirit Pole Vault Summit Reno, NV 15 Jan 2016 [19]
34.98 mSilver medal icon.svg Arkansas Activities Association Indoor State Championships Fayetteville, AR 5 Feb 2016 [20]
45.11 mSilver medal icon.svg New Balance Nationals Indoor New York, NY 11 Mar 2016 [21]
55.20 mGold medal icon.svgUSATF Youth Indoor Championships Staten Island, NY 12 Mar 2016 [22]
65.76 mGold medal icon.svgBYU Cougar Indoor Meeting #2 Provo, UT 5 Feb 2021 [23]
75.80 mSilver medal icon.svg NCAA Division I Men's Indoor Track and Field Championships Fayetteville, AR 12 Mar 2021 [24]
85.82 mGold medal icon.svgBYU December Invite Provo, UT 9 Dec 2021 [25]
95.85 mGold medal icon.svgDr. Sander Invitational Columbia Challenge New York, NY 3 Feb 2022 [26]
105.86 mSilver medal icon.svg USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships Eugene, OR 7 Jul 2023 [27]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tina Šutej</span> Slovenian pole vaulter (born 1988)

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Balance Indoor Grand Prix</span> Annual indoor track and field meet

The New Balance Indoor Grand Prix, formerly known as the Boston Indoor Games, is an annual indoor track and field meet which is held in late January or early February at the Track at New Balance. Prior to 2023, it was hosted at the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center. It was first held in Roxbury, a neighborhood in Boston, in 1996 and has become one of the foremost events of its type in the United States, alongside the Millrose Games.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alysha Newman</span> Canadian pole vaulter (born 1994)

Alysha Eveline Newman is a Canadian track and field athlete who specializes in the pole vault. She is 2024 Summer Olympics bronze medallist and 2018 Commonwealth Games champion, and holds both the Canadian national and Commonwealth Games records in the women's pole vault. Newman represented Canada at the 2016, 2020, and 2024 Summer Olympics, where she won a bronze medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics. This marked her as the first Canadian woman to medal in pole vaulting at the Olympics. Her vault of 4.85 meters also set a new Canadian national record.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Armand Duplantis</span> Swedish-American pole vaulter

Armand Gustav "Mondo" Duplantis is a Swedish-American pole vaulter. Widely regarded as one of the greatest pole vaulters of all time, Duplantis is the world outdoor and indoor record holder, two-time Olympic champion, two-time World outdoor and indoor champion, and current European champion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Logan Cunningham (athlete)</span> American pole vaulter (born 1991)

Logan Cunningham is an American track and field athlete who specializes in the pole vault. He holds a personal best of 5.71 m, set in 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lindon Victor</span> Grenadian athletics competitor

Lindon Victor is a Grenadian athlete who competes in the decathlon. He is the 2023 World and 2024 Olympic bronze medalist and a two-time Commonwealth Games champion (2018–2022).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Katie Moon</span> American pole vaulter (born 1991)

Kathryn Elizabeth Moon is an American pole vaulter. She won gold medals at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, 2022 and 2023 World Athletics Championships, and silver medals at the 2022 World Indoor Championships and the 2024 Summer Olympics. Moon was also the 2019 Pan American Games silver medalist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Nilsen</span> American athlete (born 1998)

Christopher Nilsen is an American athlete specialising in pole vault and high jump. He won the silver medal at the 2020 Summer Olympics in the pole vault event with a jump of 5.97 m.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sondre Guttormsen</span> Norwegian pole vaulter

Sondre Guttormsen is a Norwegian athlete specialising in the pole vault. He won the gold medal at the 2023 European Indoor Championships. Guttormsen earned bronze at the 2021 European Under-23 Championships.

Olivia Gruver is an American female Pole vault athlete. Gruver represented Team USA at 2019 Pan Am Games where she placed 4th. Gruver won two NCAA pole vault titles and seven NCAA Division I All-American awards. As a Husky, Gruver set a College outdoor pole vault record.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fiona O'Keeffe</span> American long-distance runner (born 1998)

Fiona O'Keeffe is an American long-distance runner. In her marathon debut, she won the 2024 United States Olympic Marathon Trials, qualifying her for the 2024 Paris Olympics. She is competing in the 2024 Paris Olympics Women's marathon on 11 August 2024.

Pjai Austin, also known as PJ Austin, is an American sprinter. At the 2023 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships, he ran 9.89 for 100 metres in the semifinals and 9.97 in the finals, the former making him the 9th-fastest runner in the world that year.

Austin Miller is an American pole vaulter. He won the bronze medal at the 2024 USA Indoor Track and Field Championships in the pole vault.

Zhong Tao is a Chinese pole vaulter. He became a national indoor champion in 2024 and then won the gold medal at the Asian Indoor Championships.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anna Camp-Bennett</span> American middle-distance runner (born 1998)

Anna Camp-Bennett is an American middle-distance runner who competes in the 800 m and 1500 m. Competing for Brigham Young University, she won the 1500 m at the 2021 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.

Dylan Beard is an American hurdler specializing in the 110 metres hurdles. He was notable for winning the 2024 Millrose Games 60 m hurdles while being unsponsored and working as a Walmart deli employee.

Dorcus Ewoi, also spelled Dorcas Ewoi, is a Kenyan middle-distance runner based in the United States and specializing in the 800 metres. She finished 5th at the 2023 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships before turning pro with Puma. In 2024, she defeated Olympic gold medallist Athing Mu to win the Holloway Pro Classic 2024 World Athletics Continental Tour Silver meeting.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Zach McWhorter at Tilastopaja (registration required)
  2. 1 2 3 4 5
  3. 1 2 3 "It's been a rough two years at BYU, but pole vaulter Zach McWhorter has qualified for NCAAs and U.S. Olympic trials". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved 2024-02-12.
  4. 1 2 "For BYU pole vaulter extraordinaire, it's a family affair". Deseret News. 2021-03-10. Retrieved 2024-02-12.
  5. ↑ "Zach MCWHORTER | Profile". World Athletics. Retrieved 2023-10-18.
  6. ↑ "FINAL | Pole Vault | Results | Budapest 23 | World Athletics Championships". worldathletics.org. Retrieved 2023-10-18.
  7. ↑ "Do YOU Love to Pole Vault?". www.bubbapv.com. Retrieved 2024-02-12.
  8. ↑ "2017 All-NWADG Track and Field honorees | Arkansas Democrat Gazette". www.arkansasonline.com. 2017-05-28. Retrieved 2024-02-12.
  9. ↑ "McWhorter finishes as national runner-up in pole vault, breaks school record". BYU Cougars. Retrieved 2024-02-12.
  10. ↑ "Five Cougars come up short of advancing to finals at U.S. Olympic Trials". BYU Athletics - Official Athletics Website - BYU Cougars. Retrieved 2024-02-12.
  11. ↑ Casacky, Tom. "USATF Men's Vault — Summit Yields Nilsen 3-Peat". Track & Field News. Retrieved 2024-02-12.
  12. ↑ "McWhorter, Witsken shine at Indoor National Championships". BYU Athletics - Official Athletics Website - BYU Cougars. Retrieved 2024-02-12.
  13. 1 2 "Vaulter at his best, heads to Budapest". Arkansas Online. 2023-07-13. Retrieved 2023-10-18.
  14. ↑ "BYU alum Zach McWhorter claims 8th place at world championships". Deseret News. 2023-08-27. Retrieved 2024-02-12.
  15. ↑ "TFRRS | NCAA Division I Indoor Track & Field Championships - Men's Pole Vault". www.tfrrs.org. Retrieved 2023-10-18.
  16. ↑ "NCAA Division I Indoor Track & Field Championships - Men's Pole Vault 2022". TFRRS. Retrieved 2023-10-18.
  17. ↑ "For Zach McWhorter, path to world championships was a path less traveled". Deseret News. 2023-08-15. Retrieved 2023-10-18.
  18. ↑ "Athletics recap for meeting #12862241" . Tilastopaja .
  19. ↑ "Athletics recap for meeting #12867265" . Tilastopaja .
  20. ↑ "Athletics recap for meeting #12869723" . Tilastopaja .
  21. ↑ "Athletics recap for meeting #12870909" . Tilastopaja .
  22. ↑ "Athletics recap for meeting #12871077" . Tilastopaja .
  23. ↑ "Athletics recap for meeting #12976008" . Tilastopaja .
  24. ↑ "Athletics recap for meeting #12977407" . Tilastopaja .
  25. ↑ "Athletics recap for meeting #12999128" . Tilastopaja .
  26. ↑ "Athletics recap for meeting #13001864" . Tilastopaja .
  27. ↑ "Athletics recap for meeting #13044572" . Tilastopaja .
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.