PARIS — Katie Moon made history Wednesday afternoon.
A 2013 Ashland University graduate, Moon won a silver medal in the women’s pole vault competition at the Summer Olympics inside the Stade de France.
The gold medalist at the 2021 Tokyo games, Moon became just the second American woman ever to win two Olympic medals in the pole vault. Jennifer Suhr won silver at the Beijing Games in 2008 and struck gold four years later in London.
“It was truly everything that I could have hoped for,” Moon said. “Any time you win a medal at an Olympics it’s a dream come true.”
An Olmsted Falls native, Moon was one of 19 women to advance to Wednesday’s finals. She cleared the bar on her first attempt at the first four heights before missing on her first try at 4.85 meters (15 feet, 9 inches).
She cleared 4.85 meters on her second try, but missed on her first attempt at 4.9 meters (16-0.75).
After one of the four remaining athletes was eliminated — guaranteeing Moon a spot on the podium — she passed at 4.9 meters and tried to match her personal record of 4.95 meters (16-2.75), but missed on her two remaining attempts.
“I of course wanted to come in here and defend my title,” said Moon, who has battled injuries all season. “But with the year I’ve had, I’m just so ecstatic to be up on the podium.
“I felt like this is what I was capable of all year if my body would just play ball and hold up. I’m just grateful it came together when it needed to.”
Moon wasn’t sure she would reach the podium when she woke up Wednesday morning.
“When I woke up this morning, I felt terrible,” she said. “I knew today was going to be about staying as calm as I could and as focused as I could.
“The mental clarity that I had, just because I didn’t have the extra nervous energy, really helped.”
Australia’s Nina Kennedy won the gold. Canada’s Alysha Newman took bronze.
“We’re all dealing with something. Behind the scenes we have stuff going on in our lives,” Kennedy said. “We all knew the winner was going to be the person that could handle the stress of the Olympic Games the best. It’s such a mental event.”
Kennedy and Moon shared the 2023 world championship. Canada’s Newman was making her first appearance in a final in five years.
“Katie and Nina have been at these heights for a while,” Newman said. “These heights are new for me, but it’s something I’ve been thinking about for a while now.”
As for Moon, she was grateful for the support she received from her home state.
“I’m so grateful to the support back home,” she said. “It’s been unbelievable. I could feel it from back home.”
AU’s other Olympian, 400-meter hurdler Trevor Bassitt, reached the semifinals but did not advance to Friday’s finals.
Bassitt finished fifth in his opening-round heat, but won his repechage heat to advance to the semifinals. He finished fourth in his semifinal heat Wednesday in 48.29 seconds.