Caudery chose to miss the European indoors to focus fully on Nanjing where, as a result of the eight-hour time difference, the women’s pole vault final will begin at 02:10 GMT on Saturday, live on the BBC.
That decision was taken to manage a calf injury – a minor stress for an athlete whose extensive list of previous injuries includes almost losing a finger in a freak gym accident in 2021.
In a promising start to the year, the Cornwall-born athlete cleared 4.85m in Madrid in February to win the overall World Indoor Tour Gold title.
That is a height five centimetres higher than any of her 12 rivals for world gold have managed this season, and in a line-up missing the entire Olympic podium.
“Nothing is a given but if I go out there and jump my best I can hopefully retain my title, which is what I’m going out there to do,” adds Caudery.
“It’s going to be such a fun year. Last year I was just emerging on the scene and it was all very new.”
Nanjing marks her first major test in a year leading to the World Championships in Tokyo in September.
But, as Armand Duplantis continues to offer record-breaking entertainment in the men’s event, Caudery believes her pursuit of major titles can also bring her closer to Russian Yelena Isinbaeva’s mark of 5.06m which has stood for almost 16 years.
First, though, the challenge will be to join the elite five-metre club – a height only four women in history have managed to clear.
But is an achievement Caudery, at peace with her Paris pain and with new targets in sight, feels is now within reach.
“We’ve never focused too much on heights, but I’m really close to that five-metre mark now and that’s a really big thing,” says Caudery, who is seventh on the all-time list.
“I probably could have given it a good go [during this indoor season], and that’s been taken away from me. I’m just excited to get back to being healthy, competing a lot and having more attempts at five metres.
“The bar after that would probably be the world record. Just having these conversations is so exciting.”
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