Following Rio and Tokyo, Katerina Stefanidi will be competing in the pole vault final in Paris, and she won’t be alone, as the young Ariadne Adamopoulou also qualified in a surprising turn of events.

In a qualification round marked by poor conditions and a low bar, Katerina started her attempts at 4.40 meters (on her first try), but needed a second attempt to clear 4.55 meters.

Eleni Pollak, who began early (clearing 4.20 meters) but was stuck at 4.40 meters, was disqualified. On the other hand, Ariadne Adamopoulou cleared 4.20 meters and 4.40 meters on her first attempts but had three failures afterward. Although it seemed her Olympic journey was over, a surprise awaited.

The early morning qualification (starting at 10:30 local time) posed difficulties for all athletes, resulting in only 11 clearing 4.55 meters while there were 12 spots in the final.

According to the Games’ guidelines, qualification for the final was given to athletes who met the qualifying height (set at 4.70 meters) or at least the top 12 performers. Therefore, the 12th and final spot had to be filled by the next best performers. With several ties, including two French athletes, all those tied were included, meaning Adamopoulou, who was in 12th place, also advanced.

This unexpected expansion of the final drew a reaction from Katerina Stefanidi.