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Irish-American pole vaulter From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Victoria "Tori" Peña[1] (born 30 July 1987[2]) is a pole vaulter with dual American and Irish citizenship who competes for Ireland in IAAF competition.[1][3]
Pena on 28 April 2012 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | 30 July 1987 Los Alamitos, California |
| Height | 5 ft 6 in (168 cm) |
| Weight | 126 lb (57 kg) |
| Sport | |
| Country |  Ireland |
| Sport | Athletics |
| Event | Pole Vault |
| Achievements and titles | |
| Personal best | 4.60 m (2013) |
Peña was born in Los Alamitos, California.[2] Her father's family are of Mexican extraction, and her maternal grandmother Angela McCoy (née Coyle) was born in Derry.[1] Peña lives in Huntington Beach, where she graduated from Edison High School.[2][4] In 2003, she competed in Killarney at the World Irish Dancing Championships.[1] She earned a degree in International Development Studies[1] from the University of California, Los Angeles, and competed for the UCLA Bruins,[2] although frequently hampered by injuries.[5] Her Irish grandmother made her eligible for Irish citizenship,[3] and in June 2010 she acquired dual citizenship, declared her intention to compete for Ireland, and registered with Finn Valley Athletic Club in County Donegal.[1]
Peña's personal best of 4.35 metres (14 ft 3+1⁄2 in) was set shortly before she had acquired Irish citizenship, but was sufficient to qualify for the pole vault at the European Athletics championships in Barcelona.[1] In July 2010 won the Irish national championships at Morton Stadium with an Irish record of 4.15 metres (13 ft 7+1⁄2 in),[3] which she equalled in Barcelona.[6] At the 2011 European Athletics Indoor Championships she set an Irish indoor record of 4.35 metres (14 ft 3+1⁄2 in),[7] which she increased to 4.45 metres (14 ft 7 in) in 2012.[8][9] At the San Diego Triton Invitational on 27 April 2012 she set an outdoor Irish record of 4.52 metres (14 ft 10 in).[10] This qualified her for the 2012 Olympics, in the qualifying round of which she failed at the opening height of 4.10 metres (13 ft 5+1⁄2 in).[11]
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