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Flying High: British Pole Vault Champion Gemma Tutton Still Calls Lewes Home
There were plenty of smiles, and more than a little awe, when British pole vault champion Gemma Tutton stepped onto the track during Lewes Athletic Club’s Monday junior pole vault session.
The Lewes Athletic Club member has already entered the record books as a junior, represented Great Britain on the international stage, earned a scholarship to Duke University in the United States, and, this summer, realised a lifelong dream by becoming British Women’s Pole Vault Champion.
Next comes her senior England debut at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
Yet despite her growing international profile, the 21-year-old remains unmistakably rooted in Lewes.
“I moved to Lewes when I was four or five,” she says with a smile. “I always wanted to join Lewes Athletic Club because it was the cool thing to do in primary school. It’s been a massive part of my life ever since.”
Although she spent part of her childhood living in Spain, where she continued pole vaulting, she still considers herself “very much Lewesian. I love it every time I come back,” she says. “It’s so difficult to leave.”
Finding the perfect sport
Sport was central to Tutton’s childhood. Rather than specialising early, she immersed herself in a myriad of activities, including gymnastics, badminton, circus skills, and trapeze.
“I think the best thing any kid can do is try a million different sports,” she says. “I did two or three different activities after school every day.”
Eventually, one activity began to dominate.
“Pole vault on a Tuesday became pole vault also on a Friday. Before I knew it, I was training every day.”
Ask why pole vault captured her imagination, and her enthusiasm is infectious.
“It is the most fun sport you could ever imagine. It looks like a roller coaster, and it feels like a roller coaster.”
For Tutton, the attraction lies not simply in the adrenaline but in the complexity.
“It’s like a Rubik’s Cube. You’re constantly solving problems. Sometimes you have to take two steps back to go one step forward. As you grow, your technique has to grow with you.”
Tutton is keen to recognise the role her first coach has played in developing not only her own career but the next generation of athletes.
“I’ve been incredibly fortunate. Rick Pilling, founder and lead coach of the Sussex Pole Vault Group at Lewes Athletic Club, has built an incredibly successful youth pole vault programme right here in Lewes,” she says. “The group is producing British champions across the age groups, including some of the young athletes training behind me today. I wouldn’t be surprised to see many of them competing on the national and international stage in the years ahead.”
A flair for flying
Success came quickly. As an Under-13 and Under-15 athlete, Tutton set British age-group records, hinting at the potential that would later flourish.
“I always had it in the back of my mind that maybe I could be good at this as an adult.”
The real turning point came when she first put on a Great Britain vest at the European Under-20 Championships before competing at the World Under-20 Championships in 2022.
“I realised how much I loved competing for Great Britain,” she recalls. “I loved wearing the kit. I loved competing on that stage.”
But medals and international competition are only part of the attraction.
“What I love most is the people. Pole vaulters are just lovely. I genuinely enjoy training with everyone I compete against.”
Learning from the best
Among the athletes Tutton most admires is British pole vault star Molly Caudery.
“She’s unbelievably talented, but she’s also so kind,” Tutton says. “At the British Championships, she always cheers for everyone and asks how people are doing. She’s an incredible role model.”
Now, in another significant step forward, Tutton has begun working with Caudery’s coach, Scott Simpson.
“Scott has known me since I was 12. It’s a great partnership. ”
Success built on setbacks
Elite sport rarely follows a straight line, and Tutton’s journey has been no exception.
A persistent foot injury led to two surgeries and three years battling tendonitis, costing her the chance to compete at a second European Under-20 Championships.
More recently, she endured the disappointment of failing to register a height at the European
Under-23 Championships despite arriving as the top-ranked athlete.
“You can’t get to any level in sport without setbacks,” she says matter-of-factly.
Rather than discouraging her, those experiences have strengthened her resolve.
“Every pole vaulter, whether they’re 12 years old or Molly Caudery, goes through setbacks. That’s the beauty of it. You always want to come back and compete again.”
The psychology of flying
Few athletics events demand as much mental strength as the pole vault.
“It’s about 20 per cent physical and 80 per cent mental,” Tutton says.
At the end of the runway, confidence can make the difference between success and failure.
“There are times when you’re standing there, and you know, in your heart, ‘I’ve got this.’ You’re completely locked in.”
But there are other moments too.
“Sometimes you look down the runway, and all you can think about is falling into the box. Every pole vaulter goes through that.”
The challenge, she says, is learning to embrace both experiences.
A champion at last
Winning the British title this summer was the culmination of years of work, but it also brought fresh confidence.
There was pressure, she admits, arriving as the top-ranked athlete.
“Historically, that’s something I’ve struggled with.”
Instead of focusing on the title, she concentrated on the heights she wanted to clear.
“It was incredible to win, but I really wanted the European qualifying standard.”
Still, standing on top of the podium proved an important milestone.
“It gave me confidence that I can compete with the professionals.”
Across the pond
For much of the year, Tutton’s home is now Duke University in North Carolina, where she combines elite athletics with an International Comparative Studies degree alongside minors in Journalism and Political Science.
Life is busy. She trains six days a week while balancing lectures, coursework and the demands of competing at the highest collegiate level.
“I remember my siblings telling me you can have sleep, a social life or good grades, but you can’t have all three.” Tutton laughs. “I have to do all three and work and train.”
More than an athlete
Away from the runway, Tutton’s achievements extend well beyond athletics.
At Duke, she founded Duke Sapphics, a social and support network for queer women that has grown to almost 300 members within months.
Back in Lewes, in 2019, alongside her sister Maya, she launched the Our Streets Now campaign to tackle public sexual harassment.
Their campaigning helped contribute to changes in UK law, making public sexual harassment a criminal offence.
“It’s really important to use your platform,” she says. “I’m proud to wear the England vest and represent my country. To me, the English flag brings athletes and supporters together. It represents the England I love: green, diverse, welcoming, positive and, sometimes, sunny.”
Recently diagnosed with ADHD, Tutton has also become increasingly open about neurodiversity.
“It’s a contradictory thing to have,” she explains. “You can win the British Championships and struggle to brush your teeth.”
She hopes speaking honestly about those experiences will help others.
“There are wonderful parts to ADHD: the creativity and the passion. But there are struggles too. Concentrating when I’m going down the runway has genuinely been something I’ve had to work on.”
Chasing bigger dreams
The British title is only the beginning. This summer, Tutton will make her senior England debut at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, a city of special significance to her, as her mother was born there.
“I’m so excited,” she says. “It feels like the push off the cliff into a professional career.”
Her immediate target is clearing 4.60 metres. Beyond that lies an even bigger ambition.
“The Olympics are 100 per cent my goal.”
Staying grounded
Despite the medals, records and international ambitions, Tutton’s advice to young athletes is refreshingly simple.
“Have fun.”
She believes the pole vault’s greatest strength is its diversity.
“You’ll have ten athletes with ten different techniques, body types, personalities and backgrounds. You can really make the event your own.”
And perhaps that philosophy explains why she still speaks about the sport with the excitement of the little girl who first joined Lewes Athletic Club.
“There is nothing like standing at the back of the runway, taking a deep breath and thinking, ‘Let’s have it.’
“Being upside down and launched into the air is more fun than I could ever put into words.”
For Gemma Tutton, the journey from the athletics track in Lewes to the summit of British pole vaulting has been built on resilience, curiosity and an enduring love for a sport that, in her words, still feels “like the world’s best roller coaster.”
With a British title already secured and international ambitions soaring ever higher, it seems certain that her greatest heights are still to come.
Want to learn how to pole vault at Lewes AC?
Contact our Junior Academy for details about how you an take part