Tori Pena

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]

Tori Pena
Pena on 28 April 2012
Personal information
Born (1987-07-30) 30 July 1987
Los Alamitos, California
Height1.67 m (5 ft 5 1⁄2 in)
Weight57 kg (126 lb)
Sport
Country Ireland
SportAthletics
Event(s)Pole Vault
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)4.60 m (2013)

Early life

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]

Irish career

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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References
  1. O'Riordan, Ian (10 July 2010). "Ireland's newest recruit vaults into action". The Irish Times. Retrieved 3 August 2010.
  2. "Player Bio: Tori Pena". UCLA Bruins. UCLA. Archived from the original on 11 December 2011. Retrieved 3 August 2010.
  3. "Pena vaults to Irish record win". BreakingNews.ie. 10 July 2010. Retrieved 3 August 2010.
  4. Miller, Jeff (29 March 2012). "Her Irish Is Up". Huntington Beach Wave/Orange County Register.
  5. "Pena Breaks Irish National Pole Vault Record". UCLA Bruins. UCLA. 14 July 2010. Archived from the original on 5 April 2012. Retrieved 3 August 2010.
  6. "Pole Vault Women: Results; Qualification" (PDF). European Athletics Championships. European Athletics. Retrieved 3 August 2010.
  7. "Pole Vault Women" (PDF). European Athletics Indoor Championships Paris, France 4–6 March 2011 Results. European Athletics. Retrieved 6 August 2012.
  8. "Pena Sets New Irish Pole Vault Record". AI. 22 January 2012. Archived from the original on 27 April 2012. Retrieved 23 January 2012.
  9. "Pole Vault Results". ucsspirit.com. 20 January 2012. Retrieved 23 January 2012.
  10. "Pole Vault Results". directathletics.com. 28 April 2012. Retrieved 1 May 2012.
  11. "Women's Pole Vault Qualifying". 2012 Summer Olympics. Retrieved 6 August 2012.
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