Chet Clodfelter celebrates the moment after clearing the bar at 13 feet, 6.25 inches, setting a new U.S. record for his age group.
Family Goals Photography/SARAH GERKEN
GOTHENBURG, Sweden – No. 1 seed Chet Clodfelter will compete for the world title in the men’s 60-64 pole vault on Thursday.
Clodfelter’s group’s competition at the 2024 World Masters Athletic Championships is scheduled for 2 p.m. in Sweden, or 8 a.m. in Indiana.
Although there are no clear live stream options, the results will be available online at https://world-masters-athletics.org/.
Clodfelter qualified for the Games last month when he won the pole vault in his age group at the Pan American Masters Track & Field Championships last month. His jump of 4.12 meters (13 feet, 6.24 inches) not only gave him the win, but also set a new American record.
Now the experienced pole vaulter has his sights set not only on the World Championships, but also on the possibility of a world record, which currently stands at 4.32 metres (14 feet, 2 inches).
“It’s not impossible, honestly,” Clodfelter told the Banner Graphic shortly after the July meet. “It just depends on whether I’m not injured and whether I have a good day on poles I’m not familiar with.”
While the condition of Clodfelter’s wrist – he sustained an injury while setting the U.S. record – is unclear, he will not have to deal with the problem of unfamiliar bars.
Last month, a group of community members came together to raise money to ship Clodfelter’s own masts to Sweden.
The results of the competition will be printed in a future issue of Banner Graphic.