Kiwi Pole Vaulter Imogen Ayris Wins Silver At Rabat Diamond League Meet

New Zealand pole vaulter Imogen Ayris delivered her finest international performance to date at the Rabat Diamond League on Sunday, May 31, 2026, securing a career-best silver medal in the women’s pole vault. The result marked her first podium finish at a Diamond League meeting and cemented her status as a rising force in the event.

Ayris cleared 4.70 meters—her personal best—to finish behind only Katerina Stefanidi of Greece, who won gold with a leap of 4.80 meters. The victory was Stefanidi’s third Diamond League title of the season, but Ayris’s performance was the standout of the meet for New Zealand athletics, drawing widespread praise from coaches and peers.

The Rabat Diamond League, held at the Complexe Sportif Prince Moulay Abdellah, served as the only African stop on the 2026 Diamond League circuit and featured a field of elite competitors. Ayris’s silver medal came in a tightly contested final, where the top three vaulters all cleared heights between 4.70m and 4.80m. Her consistency over multiple attempts—including a successful clearance at 4.65m—highlighted her technical improvement under coach Mark Henry, who has guided her since joining the New Zealand Institute of Sport program in 2025.

“This represents the kind of performance we’ve been working toward,” Henry said in a post-race interview with NZ Herald. “Imogen’s ability to stay composed under pressure is what separates her from the competition. Today, she showed she can challenge the best in the world.”

Ayris’s medal was the first for a New Zealand woman in the pole vault at a Diamond League event since Lisa Ryzih’s bronze in Lausanne in 2019. The achievement also earned her a spot in the World Athletics Championships qualification rankings, where she now sits within striking distance of a berth for the Budapest 2027 Championships.

The Rabat meet was notable for its high standards across multiple events. In the men’s 1500 meters, Yared Nuguse (USA) set a meet record of 3:30.35, while a German athlete ran 7:57 in the steeplechase, becoming the first non-African to dip under eight minutes in the event. However, Ayris’s podium remained the focal point for New Zealand fans, who celebrated her breakthrough on social media.

Looking ahead, Ayris will aim to build on her momentum at the Herculis Diamond League in Monaco on July 8, where the world’s top vaulters will converge. Her next major test before Budapest will be the Oceania Championships in Auckland in August, where she is expected to compete for regional titles.

For now, Ayris’s silver in Rabat stands as a defining moment in her career—a testament to her resilience and the fruits of her disciplined training regimen. As Henry noted, “She’s only 24, and this is just the beginning.”

For full results from the Rabat Diamond League, including the women’s pole vault standings, visit the World Athletics official results page.