World best leap for Paralympic champion Vanessa Low

Reigning Paralympic champion Vanessa Low has made a resounding entrance into the Games year, with a world best leap in the Long Jump T61 at the ACT Open and Under 20 Championships in Canberra tonight.

The German-born star took out the field with a jump of 5.33m (0.0), adding five centimetres to her world record set at the Tokyo Paralympic Games in September of 2021.  For a performance to be recognised as a world record, the meet and athlete must fulfill specific criteria set out by World Para Athletics, with this yet to be determined in Canberra.

Low’s performance is not just a victory at her local championships but a proclamation of intent as she builds towards the Paris Games, where the double-leg amputee will aim for a historic third consecutive gold medal.

“There were a couple of really good jumps out there, but there is a lot I still left out on the track with a few jumps where I was just over the board,” Low said.

“We’re still building on the consistency on the runway to ensure that even the average jumps are like this as the season progresses, but the confidence is coming in and it’s nice to know that we’ll be able to go big in Paris.”

The mark is extra significant as she builds on her bronze medal performance from the World Para Athletics Championships in July last year; a feat she achieved less than a year after giving birth to her son Matteo.

“It’s everything we have been working on in the last year and a half since coming back from pregnancy,” she said.

“There is still room for improvement. I carried great speed through that particular jump in comparison to the other ones, but it’s all about the confidence in my run ups and I know I’m on the right mark to really go for it next time and carry that speed all the way through.”

Low will resume training towards Paris 2024 under the tutelage of her coach and husband, Paralympic gold medalist Scott Reardon.

The ACT Open and Under 20 Championships continue tomorrow through until Sunday, with the meet attracting some of the nation's top athletes to the Australian Institute of Sport. The meet is hosted by Capital Athletics, with information to be found here.

By Sascha Ryner, Athletics Australia
Posted: 26/1/2023