Wilma Murto

Wilma Anna Helena Murto (born 11 June 1998)^[2] is a Finnish pole vaulter. She won the gold medal at the 2022 European Athletics Championships in Munich with a jump of 4.85 m (15 ft 10+3⁄4 in), equalling the championships record and setting a new Finnish record.^[3][1] Murto also claimed victory at the 2023 European Indoor Championships, making her the first Finnish woman in history to win gold at these championships.^[4]

Wilma Murto

Murto at the 2022 Finnish Athletics Championships in Joensuu
Personal information
Birth name	Wilma Anna Helena Murto
Born	(1998-06-11) June 11, 1998 (age 27) Kuusjoki, Finland
Sport
Country	Finland
Sport	Athletics
Event	Pole vault
Coached by	Jarno Koivunen[1]
Achievements and titles
Personal bests	4.85 m NR (Munich 2022) Indoors 4.80 mi NR (Istanbul 2023) 4.71 mi WU20R (Zweibrücken 2016)
Medal record Women's athletics Representing  Finland World Championships 2023 Budapest Pole vault European Championships 2022 Munich Pole vault European Indoor Championships 2023 Istanbul Pole vault European Games 2023 Kraków-Małopolska Pole vault World U20 Championships 2016 Bydgoszcz Pole vault European U20 Championships 2017 Grosseto Pole vault

She was the 2016 World Under-20 Championships and 2017 European U20 Championships bronze medallist. Murto currently holds Finnish national records out and indoors and world U20 indoor record of 4.71 m (15 ft 5+1⁄4 in).

Career

Wilma Murto made her international debut at the 2014 World Junior Championships in Athletics held in Eugene, Oregon at the age of sixteen. On 27 December 2015, she cleared a new best of 4.45 m (14 ft 7 in), which represented a European youth (under-18s) best.^[5]

On 31 January 2016, the 17-year-old set a new indoor world junior (under-20s) record in Zweibrücken, Germany, where she jumped 4.71 m (15 ft 5+1⁄4 in).^[6] This result was also a new Finnish national record, beating Minna Nikkanen's previous best by 11 centimetres (4.3 in).^[7]

In the following years, Murto struggled with form and it took her until the 2021 season to improve the record further, when she cleared 4.72 m (15 ft 5+3⁄4 in) at the Finnish Championships.^[1] Also in the same season, she finished fifth at the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympics, her best senior championship result up to that point.^[2]

At the 2022 European Athletics Championships final, Murto cleared three Finnish records to take her first senior international championship medal, a gold. She improved her outdoor best with a remarkable 13 centimetres to 4.85 m (15 ft 10+3⁄4 in). This mark equalled also the championship record of Katerina Stefanidi, who took silver this time behind Murto.^[3] Also in 2022, she placed sixth at the World Championships in Eugene, Oregon.^[2]

On 7 January 2023, she improved her own 6-year-old Finnish indoor record, clearing world-leading 4.75 m (15 ft 7 in) on her first attempt in Kuortane.^[8] Murto bettered her record at the European Indoor Championships held in March in Istanbul, soaring clear at 4.80 m (15 ft 8+3⁄4 in) on her first attempt for the gold medal.^[4]

Statistics

Personal bests

• Pole vault – 4.85 m (15 ft 10+3⁄4 in) (Munich 2022) NR
  • Pole vault indoor – 4.80 m (15 ft 8+3⁄4 in) (Istanbul 2023) NR
  • Pole vault indoor U20 – 4.71 m (15 ft 5+1⁄4 in) (Zweibrücken 2016) WU20R

International competitions

Wilma Murto at the women's pole vault final at the 2022 European Championships in Munich

Wilma Murto at the women's pole vault final at the European Athletics Championships in Munich on 17 August 2022.

Murto at the 2023 European Indoor Championships in Istanbul

Representing  Finland

Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Result
2014	World Junior Championships	Eugene, OR, United States	25th (q)	3.75 m
2015	European Indoor Championships	Prague, Czech Republic	–	DNS
	European Junior Championships	Eskilstuna, Sweden	–	NH
2016	European Championships	Amsterdam, Netherlands	7th	4.45 m
	World U20 Championships	Bydgoszcz, Poland	3rd	4.40 m
	Olympic Games	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil	24th (q)	4.30 m
2017	European Indoor Championships	Belgrade, Serbia	8th	4.40 m
	European U20 Championships	Grosseto, Italy	3rd	4.15 m
2018	European Championships	Berlin, Germany	17th (q)	4.35 m
2019	European Indoor Championships	Glasgow, United Kingdom	18th (q)	4.10 m
	European U23 Championships	Gävle, Sweden	5th	4.20 m
	European Team Championships Super League	Bydgoszcz, Poland	8th	4.21 m
	World Championships	Doha, Qatar	22nd (q)	4.35 m
2021	European Indoor Championships	Toruń, Poland	6th	4.55 m
	Olympic Games	Tokyo, Japan	5th	4.50 m
2022	World Championships	Eugene, OR, United States	6th	4.60 m
	European Championships	Munich, Germany	1st	4.85 m =CR NR
2023	European Indoor Championships	Istanbul, Turkey	1st	4.80 m NR
	World Championships	Budapest, Hungary	3rd	4.80 m[9]
2024	World Indoor Championships	Glasgow, United Kingdom	9th	4.55 m
	European Championships	Rome, Italy	8th	4.43 m
	Olympic Games	Paris, France	6th	4.70 m

National titles

• Finland-Sweden Athletics International
  • Pole vault: 2023
• Finnish Athletics Championships
  • Pole vault: 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021
• Finnish Indoor Athletics Championships
  • Pole vault: 2019, 2020