GVSU national champ Kristen Hixson Leland stronger than ever in pursuit of Olympic dream

Three years ago, Kristen Hixson Leland was forced to watch as her peers competed for the three pole vault spots on the Olympic team.

Hixson Leland missed the finals, a back injury keeping her from her best at the biggest moment.

Now 31 and entering her third Olympic track and field trials, the Team USA member has one goal remaining - a spot on the Olympic team.

"I have been jumping on the biggest poles I have in my entire career. Things are lining up, and I have that confidence - which is half the battle," Hixson Leland said. "I am totally healthy and there are a lot of positives happening.

"It is all leading up to a peak, hopefully."

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Not many people are still competing professionally at age 31, but Hixson Leland is still a world-class athlete.

"I am still really good at it. It be one thing if I was slowly declining, but I am still one of the best in the world," she said. "But that is not why I still do it. I still love it. It is truly my happy place. There is no reason for me to stop."

There have been several big moments in her journey, one that has led her around the world.

Hixson Leland was the NCAA Division II champion in the pole vault at Grand Valley State and has competed internationally for Team USA multiple times, winning the gold medal at the North American Central American Caribbean Games and competing in Europe, Mexico and Japan along the way.

She has finished as high as fifth at a U.S. National meet and was ninth at the 2016 Olympic trials.

"This is my third trials," she said. "I have experienced everything at this point, the bad, the injury, being young. I know what to expect and all the variables that come with that. It helps me go in with a little more ease, not that it takes away from the excitement or the nerves."

Plus, Hixson Leland is healthy and competiting well. She is ranked No. 9 in the country heading into trials. Her top vault of 2024 has been 4.56 meters, inching closer to her personal best of 4.65 meters.

"Things are going really well. I think I have been super consistent this year, more so than I have the past few years coming back from injury. Consistency gives me confidence," she said. "I really hope to be jumping higher and I know I will be. We are doing some good things. We know why I haven't jumped higher yet, and I just have to execute now."

Part of that comes with learning how to handle bigger and heavier poles. The idea is to build up the torque for a higher finish.

"You want to get on the biggest pole you can because it will throw you higher," she said. "It is about having the confidence, knowing if you do the same things and execute the same thing that you do on a smaller pole, things will line up."

It is one of several simple plans that are leading to stronger execution.

"The biggest key is trusting that I already know how to pole vault. I am not going in there to try and rewrite the gameplan. I know I can jump the way I need to, and I have for years. I just need to go in there and be consistent and jump like I know I can. It sounds simple, but that is what we have boiled things down to," she said.

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But as simple as it sounds, it is still the Olympic trials. There is plenty on the line and a group of world-class athletes aiming for their best.

"After the last trials, being hurt and not making the finals, that was really hard. I have really enjoyed the process more this time around. It means a lot to even be a part of it at this point still," she said. "I am trying not to put my whole career on this meet. I have a healthier mentality and I hope that translates to success at the meet."

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Contact sports editor Dan D’Addona at Dan.D’Addona@hollandsentinel.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter @DanDAddona or Facebook @HollandSentinelSports.

This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: GVSU national champion Kristen Hixson Leland chasing Olympic spot