Katie Moon

“I would love to improve my indoor personal best. I mean, the next bar up from [4.91m] would be an indoor American record, that five-meter barrier. So you go 4.92m for a meeting record and then why not put it up to something like that? It’s a very natural increment. I would love to get that record for sure, and then hopefully a couple more.”

My guest for today’s episode is Katie Moon, an Olympic and 2x World Champion in the women’s pole vault. Moon added to her trophy case in 2024, claiming a World Indoor bronze medal and an Olympic silver. She accomplished all this despite fighting with an Achilles injury that delayed her outdoor opener until late May and affected her training all season.

In our conversation, Katie gave us some insight into her offseason, reflected on a successful yet hampered 2024 campaign, and looked forward to what’s sure to be a banner year for her in 2025.

One of the first steps for Katie next season will be a trip to The Armory to compete in her fifth Millrose Games. She shared her excitement for returning to the iconic meet and the idea that she might have something big up her sleeve come February 8th. You can get your tickets at The Armory’s website.

Host: Paul Hof-Mahoney | ⁠@pauliethrows on Instagram

Guest: Katie Moon | @ktnago13 on Instagram

Timestamps:

1:53 - Offseason breakdown
2:51 - Achilles recovery
3:40 - What pole vault running workouts look like
6:31 - Reflections on 2024 season
8:30 - Staying focused on the bigger picture in the midst of injury setbacks
11:17 - Moving to Tulsa and the shift to remote coaching
13:07 - Impact of Achilles injury on competition and training
15:15 - Refinding confidence in leadup to Paris Olympics
19:33 - Competing at her 5th Millrose Games announcement
21:03 - Goals for Millrose and indoor season
22:09 - What differentiates indoor and outdoor pole vault
24:36 - Her outlook on the long 2025 season
26:40 - What a “championship peak” looks like for a pole vaulter
28:48 - Contesting World Indoors and considerations for 2025 season
31:07 - Athlos, Grand Slam Track and opportunities to field events
33:55 - Outlook on growing the sport of track and field together
36:52 - What can she do to join the 5m club
39:36 - What makes a successful vault
41:47 - Inside look at camaraderie on international pole vault scene
44:46 - Experimental meet + innovation in pole vault
47:23 - Hypothetical “Mondo vs. Karsten” race for the women

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The sixth day of track and field at the Olympics was another huge one for Team USA! Quincy Hall claimed the 400m gold medal while Kenneth Rooks shocked the world with a silver medal finish in the 3000m steeplechase. As the events roll on, it’s clear that the American athletes are making a big splash and setting the stage for an exciting finish to the Games. In tonight’s edition of the Torch Talk, the team breaks down…

– Quincy Hall won the Olympic gold in the 400m at Paris 2024 in 43.40, making him the 4th-fastest man ever. Brit Matthew Hudson-Smith took bronze and Muzala Samukonga of Zambia took bronze. This was the fastest 400m race in history, as five men dipped under 44 seconds.

– Soufiane El Bakkali became the first man in nearly 100 years to successfully defend his Olympic steeplechase gold, winning with a time of 8:06.05. Kenneth Rooks won silver with a big PB, and Abraham Kibiwot of Kenya won bronze.

– Nina Kennedy won the women's pole vault at the Paris 2024 Olympics, clearing a height of 4.90m. Her gold is the first at an Olympics by an Australian female vaulter. Reigning Olympic champ Katie Moon finished in silver, and Alysha Newman broke the Canadian record to win bronze.

– Roje Stona of Jamaica set a new Olympic record with a 70.00-meter throw, earning the gold medal in men's discus in Paris. This marks Jamaica's first gold medal at the Paris Games and the nation's first-ever Olympic gold in men's discus.

– In the 110m hurdles semifinal, Grant Holloway posted the fastest time of the day at 12.98 seconds. American athletes Daniel Roberts and Freddie Crittenden also advanced to the final.

HOSTS:

Chris Chavez | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@chris_j_chavez on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Mac Fleet | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@macfleet on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Mitch Dyer | ⁠@metchosketch on Instagram⁠

Eric Jenkins | @_ericjenkins on Instagram

Aisha Praught Leer | @aishapraughtleer on Instagram

Katelyn Hutchison | @_kxnaomi on Instagram

We’re excited to have a full CITIUS MAG team on the ground in Paris providing daily live shows before and after the action, including interviews with competing athletes, our TORCH TALK recap show, and the return of GOOD MORNING TRACK AND FIELD.

Make sure you’re subscribed to the CITIUS MAG YouTube channel for live shows

Subscribe (and share with your friends!) to the CITIUS MAG newsletter for daily newsletters in your inbox after every day of track and field competition: https://citiusmag.beehiiv.com/

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Chris Chavez and Katelyn Hutchison hosted the first-ever Pre Pre Show, the official pregame show of the 2023 Prefontaine Classic in partnership with TrackTown USA. The meet also doubled as the Diamond League Final.

Day 2 really brought the energy as we were joined by a slew of champions and record holders.

Guests include:

• Karsten Warholm, 2021 Olympic Champion, 2023 World Champion and world record holder in the 400m hurdles (Bonus appearance by coach Lief Olav Alnes)

• Noah Lyles, 2019, 2022 and 2023 World Champion in the 200m, 2023 World Champion in the 100m, American record holder in the 200m

• Nina Kennedy, 2023 World Champion in the pole vault

• Yared Nuguse, 2023 U.S. 1500m finalist, U.S. indoor and outdoor mile record holder

• Cole Hocker, 2021 U.S. Olympic Trials champion, 2021 Olympic and 2023 World Championship finalist in the 1500m

• Katie Moon, 2021 Olympic champion, 2022 and 2023 World Champion in the pole vault

• Sebastian Coe, World Athletics president

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Kyle Merber and Jasmine Todd speak with Olympic champion and now 2x world champion Katie Moon after she and Australia's Nina Kennedy became the first co-gold medalists in any event in world outdoor track and field championships history when they decided to share the victory in the pole vault. She explains what went into the decision, the public response that she addressed in an Instagram post the next day + the training leading up to her victory.

Hosts: Kyle Merber and Jasmine Todd

Guest: Katie Moon

CITIUS MAG's coverage of the 2023 World Athletics Championships is powered by ASICS.

CITIUS MAG LIVE AT WORLDS: The show will air on the CITIUS MAG YouTube Channel between the morning and evening sessions of competition (Every day at 8 a.m. EST in the U.S.). 

CHAMPS CHATS ON THE CITIUS MAG PODCAST DAILY: The CITIUS MAG team of Chris, Kyle, David McCarthy, Jasmine Todd and Katelyn Hutchison will unpack all of the day’s biggest surprises and offer up their insights and analysis from being at the new National Athletics Centre and interviewing athletes each day. The podcast recording will be streamed on YouTube at the end of every day and will also be available on The CITIUS MAG Podcast feed on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen to shows. 

DAILY CITIUS MAG NEWSLETTER: David Melly will recap all of the biggest moments, highlighting his must-watch athletes and events for each day while also pulling together some of our best content, photos and social moments that the CITIUS MAG team captures.

Chris Chavez, Kyle Merber, Jasmine Todd, and David Melly are once again joined by guest host Mitch Dyer to break down a jam-packed day at the World Athletics Championships! Day 5 was highlighted by finals in the men’s 1500m, women’s 400m, men’s 400m hurdles, and women’s pole vault among other events.

A few of Day 5’s most notable moments include:

–  Men’s 1500m: Josh Kerr ran 3:29.38 to deny Jakob Ingebrigtsen the gold medal + Narve Nordãs snagged bronze to round out the top three.

– Women’s pole vault: Katie Moon and Nina Kennedy became co-World champions in the women’s pole vault following an epic battle ending in a pair of world-leading 4.90m vaults.

– Men’s 400m hurdles final: Karsten Warholm is once again king of the 400m hurdles with a 46.89 victory + Rai Benjamin took home bronze after a season filled with setbacks.

– Women’s 5000m semifinal: 10 women broke 15 minutes, led by a 14:32.29 tape-to-tape performance by Sifan Hassan.

– Marileidy Paulino finally got her gold with a 48.76 victory and Dominican national record.

• Much more

As an official partner of World Athletics, ASICS is proud to support all of CITIUS MAG’s content throughout this year’s World Athletics Championships Budapest 2023. CITIUS MAG is the premier destination for real-time competition updates, in-depth analysis and interviews with your favorite track and field athletes.

CITIUS MAG LIVE AT WORLDS: The show will air on the CITIUS MAG YouTube Channel between the morning and evening sessions of competition (Every day at 8 a.m. EST in the U.S.). 

CHAMPS CHATS ON THE CITIUS MAG PODCAST DAILY: The CITIUS MAG team of Chris, Kyle, David McCarthy, Jasmine Todd and Katelyn Hutchison will unpack all of the day’s biggest surprises and offer up their insights and analysis from being at the new National Athletics Centre and interviewing athletes each day. The podcast recording will be streamed on YouTube at the end of every day and will be also available on The CITIUS MAG Podcast feed on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen to shows. 

DAILY CITIUS MAG NEWSLETTER: David Melly will recap all of the biggest moments, highlighting his must-watch athletes and events for each day while also pulling together some of our best content, photos and social moments that the CITIUS MAG team captures.

Chris Chavez, Kyle Merber, Katelyn Hutchison and Dana Giordano recap the fourth day of the 2023 USATF Outdoor Championships LIVE from Eugene, Oregon.

Some of the highlights of the day include:

– Rai Benjamin missed eight weeks of training in May and June and stormed back to a 46.62s win in the 400m hurdles

– Shamier Little is back on top with the women's 400m hurdles title for the first time since 2015

– Gabby Thomas clocked the sixth-fastest 200m in history (21.60 seconds) and overtook Shericka Jackson as the fastest woman this year.

– Erriyon Knighton, 19, became the youngest U.S. men's champion in a track event in 43 years by winning the 200m in 19.72 seconds.

– Nia Akins won the 800m by overtaking Raevyn Rogers in the final 100 meters. Ajeé Wilson, a two-time world bronze medalist, missed out on a global championship team for the first time since 2012 due to an unspecified issue.

– Katie Moon won the pole vault with a clearance of 4.90 meters, the best mark in the world this year.

– Brooke Andersen narrowly defeated DeAnna Price in the hammer throw, with distances of 78.65 meters and 78.18 meters respectively.

– Devon Allen scratched the 110m hurdles semifinals due to injury and is shifting his focus to training camp with the Philadelphia Eagles.

– Grant Fisher, the record holder in the American 5000m and 10,000m events, scratched the 5000m due to a stress reaction in his femur. Abdihamid Nur won the 5000m final.

You can watch the episode here: https://www.youtube.com/live/iojBwB-UvVY?feature=share

The show is presented by Under Armour Running

FOR COMPLETE COVERAGE OF THE USATF OUTDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS FOLLOW CITIUS MAG

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Chris Chavez, Kyle Merber and Katelyn Hutchison bring you our first pre-meet show LIVE from the Armory Track and Field Center for the Millrose Games.

Olli Hoare, Abby Steiner, Noah Lyles, Christian Coleman, Ryan Crouser, Joe Kovacs, Cooper Teare, Katie Moon, Ajee' Wilson, Elise Cranny, Katelyn Tuohy, Melissa Jefferson, Aleia Hobbs, Yared Nuguse, Cole Hocker and Mario Garcia Romo are among the notable stars competing at the meet. 

With the NFL, NBA or MLB, you tune in to the game and afterward, you hear more from the athletes and coaches and get some fresh takes and thoughts from analysts about what you just saw. We’re bringing that to you in a fun show. We did this last year at the Millrose Games, Prefontaine Classic and New Balance Nationals meets. We're excited to bring you more in the new year.  

HOW TO WATCH THE MEET ON TV: The 2023 Millrose Games will be shown live on NBC from 4:00PM to 6:00PM EST on Saturday, February 11.  

You can find live results for the meet here: https://results.millrosegames.org/ 

READ OUR PREVIEW: https://citiusmag.substack.com/p/2023-millrose-games-preview-athletes-storylines-

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🎙️ Subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts.

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