by Deji Ogeyingbo
This is an excellent piece on Katie Moon, one of our favorite athletes, by Deji Ogeyingbo. Katie Moon was one of our most popular athletes of 2023 and 2024! Deji Ogeyingbo wrote articles on American athletes over the last couple of months.
Katie Moon: The Steady Hand of U.S. Pole Vaulting
Since her Olympic gold medal in Tokyo in 2020, Katie Moon has become synonymous with winning when it matters most. Moon has delivered time and time again, with a remarkable streak of major medals that includes gold at the 2022 and 2023 World Championships and, recently, Silver at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Her success is not just about the headlines and the records, but her ability to perform under pressure. Moon’s consistency at the top of her game has earned her a reputation as one of the most reliable athletes in track and field. After a challenging year marked by injuries, including a troublesome achilles, the 33-year-old could have easily bowed out of the Paris 2024 Olympics. Still, instead, she pushed through and once again secured a podium finish.
“I woke up not feeling very well, just a headache, and I felt like my nervous system was a little flat,” Moon said after the competition. “But I just tried to stay focused. This is the Olympics.”
That level of determination is what has defined her career. Despite struggling physically and battling the pressure of being the defending Olympic gold medalist, Moon’s ability to stay composed when it mattered most was on full display. Moon settled for silver in a competition that saw her good friend, Nina Kennedy, take Gold with a stunning 4.90m vault but expressed nothing but pride in her performance.
“Once I was here, I was just praying that my body would hold up because I felt capable of jumping high and doing something great again,” she said. “And I’m just so, so happy that it did.”
Her approach to this Olympics sharply contrasted with the pressure she felt in the past. After back-to-back gold medals at the World Championships in 2022 and 2023, Moon was now seen as the athlete to beat. But instead of succumbing to expectations, she shifted her mindset. A season marred by injury meant many counted her out, which, in Moon’s case, may have been precisely what she needed. Feeling like an underdog again, she took the pressure off herself, which helped her perform on one of the sport’s biggest stages.
While her body may not have been in peak condition, Moon’s mental strength proved to be just as important. She knew that in the pole vault, anything could happen, and in Paris, it was Kennedy’s turn to shine. But that didn’t make Moon’s silver any less valuable. It was yet another demonstration of her unwavering ability to rise to the occasion, no matter the challenges.
“I’m so relieved and happy with how it went,” Moon said, reflecting on her journey. “The season was tough. I had an Achilles injury throughout most of it, and I was just relieved to make the team again.”
Her continued success hasn’t been just about her drive but also about the relationships she’s built along the way. The bond between Moon and Kennedy is one of mutual respect, and their shared success in the 2023 World Championships, when they decided to share the gold medal—has only deepened their connection. In Paris, Kennedy’s gold was hard-earned, but Moon, the sportswoman, offered praise quickly.
“Nina is such a good competitor,” she said. “She showed up, and she’s pretty much the age I was when I really figured it out, and it’s cool watching that happen in real-time for someone else.”
That kind of sportsmanship, combined with her consistency, has made Moon a figure to admire, not just in the pole vault but in track and field at large. She’s not just about winning; she’s about showing up, year after year, no matter the circumstances.
As Moon looks toward the future, competing in the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles remains tempting. But at 33, she is realistic about the challenges of another Olympic cycle. “I will absolutely go through next year,” she said. “But after that, we will just take it year by year.”
Whether Paris was her last Olympic Games or not, Moon’s legacy as one of the most dependable athletes ever representing the U.S. is firmly established.
