Natalie Uy eager to return to training despite injury
MANILA, Philippines — Even a minor injury will not stop pole vault bet Natalie Uy in plunging back to work soon for her mission to achieve her "ultimate" Tokyo Olympics dream.
Uy suffered a cut on her left hand during training last week but she said that she’s good to go as early as next month to start her training camp in Atlanta, Georgia for the remaining Olympic qualifiers next year.
“Fortunately, there’s nothing broken so I will just take some time off, let my hand heal and will be off to Georgia first week of September. I have the whole year to prepare,” said the Southeast Asian Games gold medalist in the Sports Lockdown podcast Saturday.
Uy's setback happened at one of the meets in the American Track League Series that served as her follow-up from a national record-breaking leap of 4.30 meters at the UCS Pink Panther Pit event.
In Georgia, where she will train under former Olympian Brad Walker, Uy is set to shift her gears higher until the resumption of around 20 more Olympic qualifying meets left after the pandemic.
Uy will train with other top pole vaulters led by world no.5 Katie Nageotte, who tallied 4.92 meters in the same American Track League event. Her leap was good as the sixth-highest record in history.
“I will be ready. My ultimate goal is the Olympics. At this point, why would I not try for that? I got this far and I got to go all the way. I have to give my 100% or nothing,” she added.
The 25-year-old star has to reach the 4.70-meter Olympic standard or make it inside the Top 32 after the qualifiers left to book an Olympic ticket next year.
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