Olympic champion Katerina Stefanidi wins Ultimate Garden Clash pole vault

Olympic champion Katerina Stefanidi came out on top in the women’s pole vault edition of the Ultimate Garden Clash and declared herself willing to take on the winning men.

The Greek, who was competing at her local track in Athens, recorded 34 successful vaults over a four-metre bar during two 15-minute spells, beating American Katie Nageotte (30) and Canada’s Alysha Newman (21).

Renaud Lavillenie and Armand Duplantis, joint-winners of the men’s competition two weeks earlier,  both cleared a five-metre bar 36 times.

Stefanidi, who was working in 39-degree heat, said on the World Athletics website: “I had so much fun. I was very excited after the first half because I had 19. I thought I could take two fewer jumps in the second half and still match the guys’ winning score, but then I missed two jumps.

“It was also so hot that my hands were sweating which made it difficult to get a good grip.”

Asked if she would take on Lavillenie and Duplantis, Stefanidi said: “I would do it but I’ll need three weeks to recover. The men were competing 1.2m below their PBs while we were competing 90cm below ours, so we’d have to adjust the heights. But yes, give me three weeks and I’ll do it.”