Payne to Compete in Beijing on Sunday Night
8/23/2015 12:00:00 AM | Track & Field
Watch Live | Live Results | Start List
NACOGDOCHES, Texas – The day has finally come for Demi Payne to compete on the biggest stage in the track and field world. Stephen F. Austin’s junior pole vaulter will represent the USA in the 2015 IAAF World Championships from Beijing, China, starting with the qualification round at 8:30 p.m. CT on Sunday evening.
Payne will be up against the very best pole vaulters from around the world when she lines up on the runway inside historic National Stadium. The New Braunfels product has been assigned to Group B of the qualification round along with U.S. teammate and Olympic Gold Medalist Jenn Suhr.
Payne enters Sunday’s action with a personal best jump of 15-7 (4.75m) – a mark she set during the 2015 indoor season in New Mexico for the best indoor jump in collegiate history. That height is the seventh-best among her group of 15 women. Payne can qualify for Wednesday’s final with a jump of 15-1 (4.60m) or by finishing in the top 12 on Sunday.
After capping one of the best years in collegiate track and field history with the 2015 NCAA outdoor individual title, Payne placed third at the USATF Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Oregon on June 28 to secure her place in the field at the World Championships. Since punching her ticket to Beijing, Payne has placed fourth at the 2015 Pan American Games in Canada.
To watch Payne in action on Sunday, tune in to UniversalSports.com for a live stream of the night’s events. Fans can also follow her jump-by-jump results on Twitter (@SFA_TFXC).
-SFA-
