American record holder KC Lightfoot kicked off Drake Relays week by winning the pole vault at Jordan Creek Town Center in West Des Moines. Lightfoot cleared 19-feet, four and a quarter inches. It was the second best vault of the year, second only to a world record mark set over the weekend by Sweden’s Mondo DuPlantis at a meet in China. For Lightfoot it was his first competition in two months.

Lightfoot on the unique setting of competing in a mall.

Bridget Williams won the women’s pole vault. The 2023 Pan American Games gold medalist cleared 15-feet, four and a quarter inches.

Williams feels its a good way to promote the sport.