Elizaveta Parnova

Fast Facts

Sport: Athletics
Event: Pole Vault
Olympic History: London 2012, Tokyo 2020
Year Born: 1994
State Born: Moscow, Russia

About Elizaveta

From a family of athletes and particularly pole vaulters, Elizaveta Parnova was destined to follow in their footsteps. She was a competitive pole vaulter from the age of nine, where she vaulted 2.65m. She set two world age bests at 11 years (3.15m in 2005) and 12 years (3.64m in 2006). She cleared four metres just days after her 14th birthday in 2008.

In 2010, Elizaveta made her international championship debut at the inaugural Youth Olympic Games, winning silver, where she carried the flag for Australia and later competed at the Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games. Her stellar junior career continued with medals at the 2011 World Youth Champs and 2012 World Juniors.

At just 18, she competed at the London Olympics in 2012 and two years later her second Commonwealth Games in 2014.

In 2016, she won the national title, but in April in training she fractured her tibia, ending any hope of a second Olympics. “As soon as I hit the mat I knew that it was serious; the pain in my knee was just excruciating,” Elizaveta recalled.

For most of 2016 she spent recovering, including six weeks where she couldn’t walk and eight weeks on crutches. A metal screw in her knee started nicking a tendon, requiring more surgery. Throughout her rehabilitation, she remained positive and could see the big picture.

“You need to have perspective, and not take yourself too seriously. Tunnel vision is really dangerous – as my accident shows, everything can totally change in a moment,” she said.

She rebounded well in 2017, clearing a PB 4.51m in Perth in March. At the 2017 IAAF World Championships she cleared 4.35m in the qualifying rounds and in 2018 she competed at her third Commonwealth Games placing fifth with 4.40m.

She compiled her best year in 2019 raising her PB on three occasions, with clearances of 4.52m, 4.56m, and 4.60m to win the Oceania Championships. Her new PB moved her to equal fourth Australian All-Time and also past her aunty Tatiana Grigorieva (PB 4.58m).

A strong campaign in 2021 saw her clear 4.55m at nationals to place second, earning her selection for the delayed Tokyo 2020 Olympics, nine years after competing in London as an 18-year-old. In her 16th competition for the year, she lined up in the qualifying rounds in Tokyo where she cleared 4.25m, but missed 4.40m, placing her 24th overall.