The World Athletics Indoor Championships are building as the world’s top track and field athletes prepare to compete in Glasgow, Scotland, from March 1–3. Less than 200 days before the Olympics in Paris, this event is crucial for track and field athletes hungry for the Games berth and offers fierce competition for indoor crowns. The stakes are high, with 651 participants from over 130 countries fighting for the world title.

Days after the Americans released their roster, Team Great Britain shared its lineup, which includes the national champion pole vaulter who presented the highest vault in the world this year, preparing for a close matchup with Team USA.

Road to Paris adds the biggest challenger for Team USA

With 19 medals, including three gold, the United States led the medal table in Belgrade 22. Then, with 29 medals—including 12 gold—they maintained their outdoor dominance in Budapest last summer. Once again, Team USA included its leading lady, Sandi Morris, in the women’s vaulting team, fresh off a 2024 National Pole Vault Summit victory in Reno, Nevada.

The BBC reported that Team Great Britain followed along, including Molly Caudery in their team, who came off winning the UK Indoor Championships with a 4.85-meter vault record and is now a strong favorite in the competition. Caudery is a gifted young athlete.

From being the youngest member of the England squad at the 2018 Commonwealth Games to winning silver in Birmingham and placing fifth at the 2022 Outdoor World Championships, her ascent to prominence in the sport. The English contender recently set a record by vaulting an impressive 4.86m in France, which is enough to promise her Olympic Games podium finish.

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With her new personal best of 4.85m, Caudery has taken the lead after her compatriot Holly Bradshaw, who won bronze in Tokyo. Where does that leave the formidable American champions on the road to Paris 2024 as the clock ticks closer to the event?

The American women’s pole vaulting team

Sandi Morris, a two-time world indoor champion, took charge in the National Pole Vault Summit with a 4.82-meter vault. A tough matchup with fellow teammate Katie Moon, the two-time world and Olympic champion, both headed to the Indoor Champs. Moon, hoping to defend her Olympic title in Paris, and Morris, chasing a second straight women’s pole vault medal.

The stage is set for an exciting duel as Team USA’s dynamic combination prepares for the World Indoor Championships. Both competitors are expected to enter at 4.43 meters, ready for a confrontation on the route to Paris 2024.

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