British pole vault record-holder Molly Caudery is hoping to add an Olympic gold medal to her treasure chest at the Paris games.
The 24-year-old, who trains with H&F-based Thames Valley Harriers (TVH) at Wormwood Scrubs' Linford Christie stadium, is a popular member of Team GB, where her fellow competitors call her Mols.
It's already been quite a year for Molly, who improved her personal best height to 4.86m in February, won the World Athletics Indoor Championships in March, then set a new British record of 4.92m in drizzly rain in Toulouse in June.
She cleared 4.36m, then 4.51m, 4.61m, 4.73m and 4.80m in successive vaults at the Toulouse Capitole Perche event before having the bar set to the new record height. She even had one attempt at 5m before settling for 4.92.
"Winning the world championships has been my greatest achievement... so far," said Molly, who officially stands at 7th in the all-time world rankings, with a real chance of making it to the podium in Paris.
But it turns out that the hours of practice in Wormwood Scrubs aren't the only reason for her current run of form. "My guilty secret is eating raw cookie dough!" she admitted. The first thing she did after arriving in the French capital? "Have a croissant!"
If 2024 does go down as a golden year for Olympian Molly, it will be down to her upbeat outlook. "There's always a positive from every single negative in life," she said, citing 'perseverance' as the quality every athlete needs.
It's particularly true in Molly's case as her European success at U20 and U23 level (where she won silver) was followed by a string of injuries which interrupted her progress.
TVH chair Andrea Broughton, who took over the role a year and a half ago, said that the whole club was delighted with Molly's achievements, and would be following her progress in Paris. "She's increased her performance consistently over recent months, improving by 26cm since July 2023," she said. "We're very proud of her."
The women's pole vault competition at the Paris Olympics begins on Monday, 5 August, in the Stade de France. The final takes place two days later at 5pm (UK time) on 7 August.
Molly, who grew up in Cornwall and is also a skilled surfer, now dreams of having a discreet 'five rings' tattoo added to the tiny butterfly inked on her right arm.
You can keep up to date with Molly's progress by joining her 282,000 Instagram followers, or check out the latest on TVH's website.
Don't forget that you can settle down in a deckchair and watch the Paris Olympics right here in Lyric Square, Hammersmith. Events are screened every day from 26 July to 11 August. And there's a free Family Olympics in the square on Tuesday 6 August, courtesy of Chelsea FC Foundation, with Olympics-inspired have-a-go sport for all.
