Angelica Moser is probably the most underestimated top Swiss athlete, despite her brilliant track record. In Paris, the pole vaulter will have the opportunity to step into the limelight.
European champion just two months ago in Rome, European indoor champion 2021, Diamond League one-day winner, junior world champion and other gold medals in various junior categories: Angelica Moser has delivered top performances at all levels over the past ten years. Now it seems to be time for her to pull off a coup under the sign of the five rings at her third Olympic Games after Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2021.
"I've found a good balance again in the last two years," says the athlete. She laid the foundations with her former coaches Herbert Czingon and Damien Inocencio and has improved her speed and run-up over the past year and a half thanks to Adrian Rothenbühler. "I wasn't injured, I'm ready," explains the 26-year-old from Zurich, who has moved from Andelfingen to Courrendlin in the Jura to live with her boyfriend Kevin Bozon, the professional ice hockey player for HC Ajoie.
The quality of her third jump
Angelica Moser has entered a new dimension this season. With the Swiss record, which she raised to 4.88 m last month in Monaco, she is in second place in the world rankings ex-aequo behind Great Britain's Molly Caudery (4.92 m). But the jumpers are very close together. "There are nine or ten of us who can win a medal. The key will be to stay focused on myself on day X. I have no influence on what the others do," emphasizes the niece of Swiss Olympic President Jürg Stahl.
Moser's big day is on Wednesday. Before that, however, she has to get through the qualification on Monday. World Athletics has set the target at 4.70 meters. However, it is unlikely that the contingent of twelve finalists can be filled with such a height. A jump over 4.60 m or 4.65 m should be enough.
This season, the Zurich native has also distinguished herself with her consistency. She has already jumped over 4.70 m or more eight times. She is mentally very strong. It regularly happens that she only avoids early elimination in her third attempt. "Knowing that I'm capable of very good third jumps gives me confidence," she says.
More steps in the inrun
The Zurich native is a special case among the best female jumpers, as she starts with 18 steps compared to 16 for her competitors. She takes her time to accelerate well and continuously. Her father Severin - 17th in the 1988 Olympic decathlon in Seoul, where he jumped 4.70 m with the pole - is often present at competitions to give her pointers on the strength and direction of the wind.
Such details could prove decisive in Paris when Angelica Moser attempts to break through the phalanx of English-speaking jumpers from the USA, Australia, Great Britain, Canada and New Zealand, who share the top spot in the world rankings with her.
