'Loving life and looking forward': Olympic medalist Alysha Newman ready to jump to new heights

It’s impossible to wipe the smile off Alysha Newman’s face.

Surrounded by close to 100 family and friends Saturday night at her parents’ home in Delaware, Ont., the Olympic bronze medallist in pole vault welcomed everyone who played a role in getting her to the podium in Paris last month.

“Tonight there's 90 people, and I was writing my list of everybody that has helped me along the way,” said Newman.

“It's just been such a surreal moment because without every single person, I would have never accomplished this medal. People want to say it's a celebration for me, but really it's a celebration for them to say ‘Thank You.’”

Her journey to this point in her life hasn’t been easy. There have been so many highs and lows - from reaching a Canadian record in the event, to serious injuries and a concussion which lead to depression, and days where she admits she didn’t want to live.

“If I gave up in 2020 after everything bad happened to me, I was like, I would have never been living this life that I'm living currently,” said Newman.

“I am so gracious for that to happen, because that built this to become an Olympic medalist.”

The pole vault bronze medal won by Alysha Newman at the Paris 2024 Olympic games was on display at a party on Saturday Sept. 28, 2024 (Brent Lale/CTV News London)

High performance centre dreams

With a medal around her neck, her credibility increases.

Along with her coaches Doug Wood and Zdenek ‘Zeke’ Krykorka, Newman is hoping to use this new fame to build something special in Bolton, Ont.

Bolton pole vault has been functioning for 12 years without a home, moving every six months.

Their goal is to build a track and field training centre in Caledon which will create a hub for high performance and grass roots development in track and field.

“Let's get the community behind it because so many people have come together to help me,” said Newman.

“Why can't I be that person to help other people? I think this medal is a perfect opportunity to move forward to make that facility happen. We need more track facilities in Canada and we have such great talent here. Let's build it, and they will come and then we'll make more medals.”

Newman said that the community has donated the four acres of land and a $2 million, 400-metre outdoor track was put in last year.

“Now we're just getting the permits to build. The last quarter and then obviously raising the money. The last steps are more of the little steps of getting the money and then getting the town behind it.”

Alysha Newman, of Canada, competes in the women's pole vault final at the 2024 Summer Olympics on Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2024, in Saint-Denis, France. (Source: The Canadian Press/Christinne Muschi)

World record pursuit

Prior to this year, Newman had never medalled at the Olympics, or in a world competition.

She cleared 4.85 metres in Paris, setting a new national record, and becoming the first Canadian woman to win a medal in pole vault at the Olympics.

Now she thinks she is just scratching the surface of her abilities. Her sights are now set on breaking the world record of 5.06 metres set by Russia’s Yelena Isinbayeva in 2009.

“I’ve always had a dream of a world record,” said Newman. “But I knew more things had happened before that came. My coaches sitting me down and humbling me and tell me this is has to happen first for this to then happen. I'm 30 and I could do another Olympics and I could try to break a world record”.

She’s taking the ‘nothing to lose’ mentality now that she has an Olympic medal.

“I have a better head on my shoulders, I'm more mature, and I'm just more excited,” she said.

“I love life and that's what I'm looking forward to, is seeing how high I can physically go in pole vault. I always say shoot for the moon, and if you land on a bunch of stars, then you're just as great.”