WEST DES MOINES, Iowa — American record holder KC Lightfoot captured the men's title at the Vault at Jordan Creek, soaring 19 feet 4 1/4 inches Monday evening to kick off the week-long running of the 114th Drake Relays presented by Xtream powered by Mediacom.
It marked the second-best performance in the world so far this year, trailing only the world record of 20-5 1/4 set by Sweden's Mondo DuPlantis Saturday in Xiamen, China.
Bridget Williams, the 2023 Pan American Games gold medalist, captured the women's pole vault at 15-4.25/4.68m on her first attempt. She missed three attempts at 15-6.75/4.73m.
With the unique pole vault event returning to the Jordan Creek Town Center for the first time since 2014, Lightfoot also set a facility record, bettering the previous mark of 19-0 1/4 by Bjorn Otto of Germany set in 2013.
"I started my outdoor season a little slow, getting ready for a big year at the Olympics, but tonight was a big step in the right direction, and I had fun." said Lightfoot, who finished fourth in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics and set the existing American record in the men's pole vault of 19-11 in Nashville, Tenn., last June 2.
Lightfoot didn't appear to have any rust to knock off in his first competition since finishing a disappointing eighth in the U.S. Indoor Championships Feb. 16. He had four first attempt clearances including 19-1 and 19-4 1/4. He missed three attempts at 19-8.25/6.00m.
"It was definitely a unique experience," Lightfoot added. "I've jumped in several street vaults but never in a mall, so I had to get used to the visuals, but it was a lot of fun."
Lightfoot will make his 2024 outdoor debut competing in the Drake Relays WACT Invitational men's pole vault at 1:30 p.m. Saturday at Drake Stadium, attempting to break the Drake Relays record of 19-2 3/4 by Sam Kendricks in 2021.
Earlier, Williams recorded the top U.S. women's indoor vault this season at 15-10 in Clermont-Ferrand, France, Feb. 22.
"This is such a refreshing environment compared to a track stadium, and the fans are awesome…it gives fans the opportunity to get up close and personal with us and grow the sport." said Williams, who finished eighth in the 2023 World Championships. "The fans here [in Des Moines] make it fun and showed out."
Zach Bradford, who was third in the 2023 U.S. Outdoor Championships, finished second in the men's pole vault at 18-6.5/5.65m, while 2021 U.S. Olympian Matt Ludwig was third at 18-2.5/5.55m.
Gabriela Leon of Puma placed second in the women's pole vault at 15-0.5/4.58m. Leon was third in the 2024 U.S. Indoor Championships after winning the 2022 NCAA title performing for Louisville. Emily Grove, who was second in the 2023 U.S. Indoor Championships, finished third in the women's pole vault at 14-8.5/4.48m.
The 114th Drake Relays festivities continue tomorrow night with the annual Grand Blue Mile and USATF 1 Mile Road Race Championships in Downtown Des Moines.
