Liz Parnov (WA)

DOB:  May 1994

Age: 

Coach: Paul Burgess and James Fitzpatrick 
Twitter: @LizaParnov
Instagram: @lizparnov

Pole Vault: 4.60m (Townsville AUS, 28 Jun 2019)

In 2012, aged 18 years and 88 days Liz Parnov became the youngest competitor in Olympic history to contest the women's pole vault. Almost one decade on and the once-prodigious junior now boasts an impressive resume which will soon include being a two-time Olympian after Parnov was selected to compete in Tokyo. 

Parnov was a competitive pole vaulter from the age of nine, where she vaulted 2.65. She set two world age bests at 11 years (3.15m in 2005) and 12 years (3.64m, 2006). She cleared four metres just days after her 14th birthday in 2008. In 2010, she made her international championships debut at the inaugural Youth OlympicGames (winning silver) and Commonwealth Games.

Silver at the 2011 IAAF World Youth Championships, was followed by a silver medal at the IAAF World Junior Championships and her Olympic debut in 2012.

In 2014, she won the national title, but would, unfortunately, no height at the Commonwealth Games. In 2016, she won the national title again before in a training accident in April she fractured her tibia, ending any hope of a second Olympics.

She rebounded well in 2017, clearing a PB 4.51m in Perth in March and placing second in the national titles. At the IAAF World Championships cleared 4.35m in the qualifying rounds of the pole vault.

She placed second at the 2018 Australian Championships and was selected to compete at her third Commonwealth Games. At the Commonwealth Games she finished in fifth place of the final with a clearance of 4.40m. 

In 2019, Parnov set a new personal best of 4.60m to win the Oceania title in Townsville before later that year competing at the IAAF World Championships in Doha where she finished 14th when clearing 4.35m. 

2021 has seen Parnov piece together her most consistent string of competitions in some time, clearing a season's best 4.55m on two occasions and finishing in second place at nationals. Attempting heights in personal best territory multiple times throughout the season will bolster the confidence of Parnov as she approaches her second Olympic Games. 

Liz comes from an athletic family. Her father (Alex) was a pole vaulter, mother (Nadia), a hurdler. Her grandmother, Natalia Pechenkina, won a 400m bronze medal 1968 Mexico Olympic Games, and grandfather, Valentine Tchistiakov was a hurdler at the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games. Her aunt, Tatiana Grigorieva, won a silver medal in the pole vault at the 2000 Olympic Games.