Slovenian pole vault star wins bronze at World Athletics Championships

Slovenian veteran pole vaulter Tina Šutej has won bronze at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo in what is a major accomplishment for Slovenian athletics and the career best for the 36-year-old.

After placing fourth in the last two outdoor world athletics competitions, Šutej has now secured her first medal in a major outdoor global tournament. She also has a bronze and a silver medal from the World Athletics Indoor Championships, but those are generally considered less prestigious compared to those achieved at outdoor competitions at the highest level, CE Report quotes The Slovenia Times.

Her latest medal rounds out a brilliant season for the Slovenian during which she won silver at the World Athletics Indoor Championships and the European Athletics Indoor Championships.

Competing in the 20th World Athletics Championships, Šutej got off to a great start in the final on 17 September. She cleared 4.45 and 4.65 metres on her first attempt.

At the next height of 4.75 metres, only Americans Sandi Morris and Katie Moon were successful on their first attempts, while all the others knocked the bar down twice. In the last round, only Šutej and Czech pole vaulter Amalie Švabikova were successful, which meant that four athletes alone remained in contention for medals.

Sharing the third place, Šutej and Švabikova faced the height of 4.80 metres. The Slovenian was successful on her second attempt, and a series of failures on Švabikova's part meant that Šutej took the bronze. She went on to fail to clear 4.85 metres, opting to not even jump in her final attempt. Moon won gold and Morris silver.

"This medal is something incredible, in particular because I have waited for it so long... It is a dream come true," Šutej told the Slovenian Press Agency, adding: "It feels great to be ending the season with a medal."

This is Slovenia's eighth medal so far from the World Outdoor Athletics Championships. Four of those were bronze, two silver and two gold. Šutej has become the second Slovenian women athlete to have won a medal at such competitions after Marija Šestak took bronze in the triple jump in 2007.

She is also the proud holder of Slovenia's pole vault record among women, having cleared 4.82 metres indoors in 2023.

Šutej, who has been among the world's pole vault elite for six years now, was disappointed last year after failing to win a medal at the Paris Olympics. She was nursing some injuries at the time and implied she could retire soon, but that has changed since and she is now already thinking about getting ready for another season.

Her best Olympic result is fifth place in Tokyo in 2021, and she has not ruled out competing in the Los Angeles Games in 2028.