Hooker to return this weekend

[rainbowgirl28]

Hooker set for pole vault return
JOHN SALVADO
February 5, 2010 - 4:59PM
AAP

World and Olympic pole vault champion Steve Hooker reckons he has never been in better shape.

Hooker has been back in full training since October after recovering from the hip and thigh injuries that had threatened to derail his world championships campaign in August last year.

It is now part of Australian sporting folklore that he fought through the pain barrier to claim a remarkable gold medal in Berlin.

That signalled an early end to his 2009, but the plus side was Hooker was able to start the following pre-season earlier than ever.

He jumped well off a shortened eight-step run-up last weekend and will compete off his full approach on Saturday in Perth for the first time since the Berlin world titles.

After that, the focus shifts to the big domestic meets in Sydney and Melbourne and the world indoor championships in Doha in March.

"I finished up early last year so that gave me the down-time I needed to let my body recover," Hooker, 27, said on Friday.

"I was back into training in October, so I've got four months under my belt now and I've hardly missed a day.

"I feel that physically, I'm in as good a shape as I've ever been.

"There probably hasn't been as much actual pole vaulting as there has been in the past, so that's the question mark for me at the moment - how that all holds together when I start competing."

This time last year Hooker was putting together a remarkable series of meets, including eight straight victories and a personal best of 6.06m in Boston.

This time around, he would be satisfied with an opening effort somewhere around 5.70m.

The world indoor title is one of the few to have eluded Hooker in a stellar career, so he's extra keen to add that to the trophy cabinet next month.

The other major title on offer in 2010 is at the Commonwealth Games at the end of a very long season in October.

As one of the sport's most marketable athletes, Hooker will be able to pick and choose which Diamond League meets he contests in the build-up to Delhi.

"And we're lucky that we get a break in the middle of the season when the European championships are on (from July 26 to August 1)," he said.

"It's a good opportunity to get a bit of a rest and get some top-up training in there."