Her jump, which added a huge 16cm to her previous lifetime best to catapult her to the top of the 2012 world rankings, was all the more remarkable because it was achieved off a shortened, 14-stride run-up, raising the prospect of even further improvement in the build-up to the London Games.
All eyes will now be on her performance at the UK Indoor Trials in Sheffield on Feb 11-12 and, more importantly, at the World Indoor Championships in Istanbul in March, where Isinbayeva, the Russian two-time Olympic champion, could well be in action. Having cleared 4.80m at Saturday’s low-key meeting in Lyon, France, Bleasdale elected to raise the bar to 4.87m with the aim of taking the second spot on the all-time indoor list. She then amazed herself by clearing it.
“When I got 87, I was so happy I couldn’t believe it,” she said. “I just lay still on the bed in astonishment. The crowd was absolutely electric and this was an amazing boost.”The 20 year-old from Chorley, Lancashire, then made an attempt on Isinbayeva’s world record of 5.00m but this time she was unsuccessful.
“Everyone was on their feet shouting, and when I attempted 5.01 the atmosphere was just out of this world,” she said. “I’ve never experienced it like that before. “I ran through twice and had one good attempt. I was lucky to have the chance to attempt a world record but next time I will be more mentally prepared. “I can’t wait to watch the videos and get back into a little block of training before the trials, where I will be off a full approach and hoping the crowd can spur me on some more.”