Caudery eyes Rome gold before shot at Olympic glory

Molly Caudery tin beryllium forgiven for uncovering herself drifting into daydreams erstwhile she allows herself to indulge successful thoughts of Paris 2024.

After all, it was not truthful agelong agone that nary of this seemed plausible to nan 24-year-old. Or not truthful soon, astatine least.

Now Caudery is simply a world champion. Thrust from her preferred domiciled arsenic underdog, she has had nary prime but to re-evaluate her goals amid what tin only beryllium described arsenic a "whirlwind" period, successful what is still only nan dawn of her career.

And still, figuratively and literally, Caudery continues to emergence to greater heights.

There is nary mistaking really overmuch Britain's rod vault prima is relishing it all, either. But that is nary coincidence.

Enjoyment and capacity were ever going to beryllium intertwined for Caudery, who exudes excitement arsenic she considers nan imaginable of further golds this year, opening pinch a chance to onshore her first awesome outdoor title astatine nan European Championships successful Rome earlier competing arsenic 1 of nan favourites connected her Olympic debut.

With a laugh, she tells BBC Sport: "I drawback myself successful a daydream astir nan Olympics much often than I'd for illustration to. I will conscionable beryllium sat down and I'll commencement drifting disconnected for 10 minutes earlier I travel backmost to reality.

"I'm trying not to deliberation astir it because location are truthful galore things I request to attraction connected earlier Paris, but I cannot wait. It has been my puerility dream since I was a small girl. For it to hopefully go a reality is rather exciting.

"It has been truthful overmuch fun. I emotion this sport, I emotion what I do, and to beryllium rewarded successful nan measurement that I americium has conscionable made it moreover better."

Caudery won Commonwealth metallic successful 2022 but it was astatine past year's World Championships successful Budapest, wherever she produced a life champion to decorativeness 5th astatine her first world event, that her accelerated emergence to prominence genuinely took off.

That captivating last culminated successful shared golden betwixt American Katie Moon and Australian Nina Kennedy. Fast guardant six months, and it was reigning Olympic champion Moon congratulating newly-crowned world indoor champion Caudery successful Glasgow.

It was a breakthrough occurrence which followed a superb commencement to 2024, pinch 3 individual bests successful conscionable 4 weeks elevating her to genuine badge contender.

The third, a clearance complete 4.86m successful France successful February, remains a world-leading people this twelvemonth - and brought Caudery wrong 4 centimetres of Olympic bronze medallist Holly Bradshaw's British record.

"I still consciousness a small spot of imposter syndrome," she adds.

"I still don't judge this is really happening to me, that I'm world champion. I'm decidedly still adjusting to that.

"It's been a spot of a whirlwind but it's been incredible. I americium really enjoying nan travel and I'm truthful grateful for it."

While Paris draws ever closer, starring immoderate to debar competing successful Rome, nan opportunity presented by nan European Championships is surely not mislaid connected Caudery.

Prior to her spectacular advancement complete nan past 10 months, nan Cornwall jock had her sights group connected nan LA 2028 Olympic Games. A first awesome outdoor occurrence successful Monday's last would only adhd to nan belief she will proceed to make a insult of that schedule successful Paris.

Yet it has ensured Caudery tin attack nan astir important infinitesimal of her profession to day unaffected by nan ever-increasing outer expectations.

"My extremity had been to make nan Olympics but now it is astir really showing up, and I would emotion to beryllium connected nan podium," she says.

"The relaxed authorities I'm successful is really perfect. I'm conscionable enjoying nan travel and seeing wherever that takes me.

"It's been going truthful good and I've not felt excessively overmuch pressure. Everything other that follows feels for illustration a cherry connected top."

As overmuch arsenic anything, nan cardinal to occurrence for Caudery from present whitethorn beryllium ensuring she tin stay injury-free.

The Briton has an extended database of erstwhile injuries, among them being nan juncture she almost mislaid a digit successful a freak gym mishap successful 2021.

But while she has learned nan difficult way, Caudery knows really she must attack nan weeks ahead.

"Injuries tin travel retired of obscurity and I've astir apt knowledgeable much than most," she admits.

"It's a lawsuit now of being careful, wrapping myself up successful bubble wrap and not doing thing crazy. Not training excessively difficult aliases doing thing differently, conscionable trying to enactment successful 1 piece.

"I person had this caller occurrence successful my belly since nan world indoors and I asked my coach if location is thing other I tin do to person a amended chance of being connected nan podium successful Paris, but nan reply is no. I conscionable request to transportation connected doing what I'm doing, that's my champion chance of getting to wherever I want to be."

Competing alongside Caudery successful Rome will beryllium 32-year-old Bradshaw, who 3 years agone became nan first British female to triumph an Olympic rod vault badge and has acted arsenic a reassuring root of guidance to her younger team-mate.

As Caudery prepares for her first Olympics, erstwhile training partner Bradshaw hopes to compete astatine her fourth pursuing a difficult 2023 successful which she questioned her early successful nan sport.

"Me and Holly person a really awesome relationship," says Caudery. "When I joined nan group I was still really young and I learned truthful overmuch from her astir what it takes to beryllium a master athlete, nan committedness it takes and everything else.

"I spent a bully 3 years of my profession learning from 1 of nan world's champion rod vaulters. I'm truthful fortunate to person had that opportunity and personification to guideline me.

"She has ever been location to support maine and I'm really grateful to person had her around.

"We person not competed against each different successful a while now, she looks awesome and I deliberation it could beryllium a really nosy competition."