World Champs March-Up, Ohioan Matt Ludwig To Vault In Tokyo

As anticipation builds for the 2025 World Track and Field Championships in Tokyo, Japan we had the opportunity to highlight an athlete with Ohio roots, who's set to showcase his skills on the global stage. 

Matt Ludwig is scheduled for pole vault competition, which will commence with the Qualification Round during Session 2 on the first day of the Championships, Saturday, September 13th. 

Despite navigating a 13-hour time difference and with the event now just a handful of days away, Ludwig was gracious enough to afford us some time to discuss his upbringing in the sport, coaches who've impactfully influenced his career, his recent training form, as well as his overarching goals once the vaulting begins in Tokyo, plus much more. 

(Matt Ludwig at the 2025 John "Buck" Ewing Pro Men's pole vault event)

Photo Credit: Chris Day I The Commercial Appeal (USA TODAY)

Ludwig honed his skills during the high school days at Mentor Lake Catholic, where he experienced success at several disciplines, both on the track and in the field and within individual and multis-based competitions. 

A 2015 graduate, Ludwig departed the Cougars program with a wide-range of achievements spanning OATCCC Indoor State, OHSAA Outdoor State and during the summer specialty meet season with various trips to New Balance Nationals and the AAU Junior Olympic Games.

Ludwig would then take his talents to the nearby University of Akron for competition at the college level. There, under the guidance of former long-time head track and field coach Dennis Mitchell, he enjoyed a stellar overall tenure as a member of the Zips, which was anchored by securing a pole vault national title at the 2017 NCAA Outdoor Championships. 

Now an accomplished veteran on the professional circuit, Ludwig lined-up at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics (contested in 2021 due to the pandemic delay) and holds a considerable amount of experience with Diamond League meetings and various USA Indoor and Outdoor Championships over the years that complement his decorated athletics resume.

Ludwig owns an all-time personal best clearance of 5.90m (19-4.5), which he achieved at Ciudad de México in February of 2020. 

(Matt Ludwig shown at the 2020 USATF Indoor Championships)

Photo Credit: Kirby Lee I USA TODAY Sport

Tune-in to the video above, where Ludwig pays tribute to his current coach, Tim Mack, the 2004 Olympic gold medalist, his vast support network back in Northeast Ohio and where he honors his friend, Canadian pole vault legend, the late Shawnacy Barber.

Ludwig also looks ahead, post-Worlds, to his final scheduled event of 2025, the World Pole Vault Challenge in Makati, Philippines on September 20th and 21st.

Finally, follow Ludwig's upcoming performance at the World Championships beginning on Saturday, September 13th with the men's pole vault Qualification Round at 6:05 am EDT (7:05 pm local time in Tokyo).

• 0:00 -- Episode Introduction
• 0:55 -- Discussing the journey to Japan and adapting to the time change
• 2:35 -- How long it took for his body to acclimate to the 13-hour time difference
• 3:25 -- Team USA taking care of accommodations and familiar nutrition for the athletes while they're abroad 
• 5:15 -- Using the familiarity of traveling to Tokyo for the 2020 ('21) Olympics to his advantage
• 6:55 -- Highlighting his recent training; where he feels great about his game and in what aspects he's needed to focus more on 
• 9:30 -- The overarching goals are that he'd like to achieve from the experience at Worlds 
• 11:30 -- The pride of representing USA in international competitions and the grind it is to make USA teams against such formidable competition nation-wide
• 14:05 -- Paying tribute to his current coach Tim Mack and the great facility he trains at, the SPIRE Academy 
• 16:15 -- Reflecting on his time at the University of Akron and working with Coach Dennis Mitchell and sharing some fond memories of the late Shawnacy Barber 
• 19:15 -- Explaining how his passion for the pole vault event developed at Lake Catholic High School 
• 21:35 -- Commenting on how much he values the support he receives from his hometown community back in Northeast Ohio 
• 23:05 -- Talking about his current role as a college coach at Baldwin Wallace University and his future goals post competition career 
• 25:50 -- Evaluating the Championships' schedule of events and if it sets up to his liking 
• 27:50 -- After his competition concludes, what events and athletes he's looking forward to watching 
• 29:05 -- Why the World Pole Vault Challenge was an appealing event to enter post-Worlds
• 31:40 -- Episode Conclusion