Reading high jumper Morgan Lake was delighted to bounce back from her Commonwealth Games disappointment by securing a place in the European Championship final in Birmingham.
The 29-year-old high jumper from Reading was unable to clear three attempts at 1.82m in Glasgow but tweaks to her run-up led to a much-improved performance at the Alexander Stadium.
She cleared her third shot at 1.91m to seal a spot in Saturday’s showpiece and hopes the best is yet to come.
“I’m so happy to make the final with a season’s best,” she said.
“I feel this was such a key moment for me. All season I have been like ‘I know I’m in shape; I don’t know why it’s not coming out’.
“We have made a few changes between Commonwealths and here with my run-up and it has just clicked and made such a difference.
“Glasgow was a really interesting one. I was still in heavy training; I obviously wanted to do well but I also really wanted to do well here.
“Commonwealths did not go well at all so this had to go well, it was the only option. Making the final is step one.”
Lake became the first British woman in history to clear two metres when she achieved the feat in Zurich last year.
The Swiss city was also the destination for her European Championship debut as a 17-year-old, with this her sixth attempt at continental glory.
She has not yet finished higher than sixth but feels home comforts could make the difference on this occasion.
“This is a home track, I trained here for six years before I moved to Sweden,” she said.
“I know it so well and the British crowds are always amazing. I used that energy to jump that high.
“The third attempt didn’t really go to script, but I was like ‘I know I’m going to clear the bar; I know I’m going to make this final’. I wasn’t too nervous; I just had to clear the bar.”
Lake may be a regular at the Alexander Stadium, but she has never experienced it baked in such intense heat.
The women’s high jump qualification took place amid an amber weather warning as the mercury tipped towards the mid-30s.
“It is a strange one as it’s good for jumping, because you don’t have to warm up as much and your muscles are fresh,” she said.
“I think that’s the reason 15 girls managed to make the final. But you have to really use your cooling strategies.”
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By Paul Martin in Birmingham
