Molly Caudery's Journey from Heartbreak to Redemption
British pole vault star Molly Caudery has endured a tumultuous two years, facing devastating setbacks at both the Paris Olympics and Tokyo World Championships. The 26-year-old athlete, once the red-hot favourite for Olympic gold, has now rediscovered her competitive fire as she prepares for this weekend's World Athletics Indoor Championships in Torun, Poland.
Double Championship Disappointment
Entering the Paris 2024 Olympics as the reigning indoor world champion and British record holder, Caudery's failure to make the final came as a shock to the athletics world. "That was really hard," she admits. "In Tokyo, it kind of got taken away from me because I got injured. It's always easier. Whereas in Paris I just messed up, it was 100 per cent on me."
The following year brought further heartbreak when a freak warm-up injury at the Tokyo World Championships left her being wheeled off the track in tears. She sustained bone bruising and ruptured ligaments, including her anterior talo-fibular ligament, with doctors warning her ankle might remain unstable for life.
Family Support and Healing Process
Pole vaulting runs in the Caudery family, with both parents and her brother having competed in the sport. "My mum, she feels the pain almost more than I do," Caudery reveals with a laugh. Her family's presence in Tokyo provided crucial support during her recovery.
Rather than opting for immediate surgery, Caudery chose a more natural healing approach. "I actually just went off on my holiday with my family, and let it do its thing," she explains. Six weeks in a boot proved sufficient for recovery, with Caudery speculating that "not stressing too much and just kind of enjoying my life" contributed to her healing.
Mental Battles and Technical Rediscovery
The psychological impact of her injuries proved challenging. A January training camp in South Africa revealed unexpected mental blocks. "Mentally I've never struggled as much as I did," Caudery confesses. "I was so lost. I was scared of pole vault, and I have never in my life been scared of pole vault."
Working closely with her coach, she adopted a methodical approach, stopping sessions when confidence waned and maintaining a journal to process her thoughts. This back-to-basics strategy eventually paid dividends, with something "clicking" upon her return to Loughborough.
Analyzing the Paris Setback
Caudery has since identified a minor technical issue that contributed to her Olympic disappointment. "Recently in British champs I had a jump where it just wasn't flowing, and I was like, oh, that's what happened in Paris," she explains. "Now I can change it. It just happened to happen at like, the biggest competition in my career, and the hardest lesson of my life."
Despite entering both Paris and Tokyo in peak physical condition - "110 per cent" for Paris and "100 per cent" for Tokyo - she acknowledges that "it's just a bad day to have a bad day."
Renewed Determination and Future Goals
Watching competitors from home during her recovery has reignited Caudery's passion. "It's like, it's just building this fire in me," she says. "There's definitely a fire simmering."
Looking ahead, she expresses excitement about the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. "I don't want to wish my life away, but LA can't come quick enough," she grins. "I'm not afraid of it. It's not like, oh no, what if it happens again? No, like, give it to me now, I want to show the world what I can do."
Personal Growth and Perspective
The challenges have brought unexpected benefits. "All of that now has completely gone," Caudery says regarding previous pressures from social media criticism and family expectations. "When I step on the runway, I'm not thinking about anything else in the world apart from me and my jump. That's it."
As she prepares for Torun, where she aims to regain the world indoor crown she won two years ago, Caudery reflects on her journey with philosophical acceptance. "I am at peace with it," she says of her Paris heartbreak. "I can do it again in a couple of years, but it does hurt. But you just cannot live in the past."
