# Wilma Murto

Wilma Anna Helena Murto (born 11 June 1998) is a Finnish pole vaulter. She won the gold medal at the 2022 European Athletics Championships in Munich with a jump of 4.85 m (15 ft 10+3⁄4 in), equalling the championships record and setting a new Finnish record. Murto also claimed victory at the 2023 European Indoor Championships, making her the first Finnish woman in history to win gold at these championships.
She was the 2016 World Under-20 Championships and 2017 European U20 Championships bronze medallist. Murto currently holds Finnish national records out and indoors and world U20 indoor record of 4.71 m (15 ft 5+1⁄4 in).

## Career

Wilma Murto made her international debut at the 2014 World Junior Championships in Athletics held in Eugene, Oregon at the age of sixteen. On 27 December 2015, she cleared a new best of 4.45 m (14 ft 7 in), which represented a European youth (under-18s) best.
On 31 January 2016, the 17-year-old set a new indoor world junior (under-20s) record in Zweibrücken, Germany, where she jumped 4.71 m (15 ft 5+1⁄4 in). This result was also a new Finnish national record, beating Minna Nikkanen's previous best by 11 centimetres (4.3 in).
In the following years, Murto struggled with form and it took her until the 2021 season to improve the record further, when she cleared 4.72 m (15 ft 5+3⁄4 in) at the Finnish Championships. Also in the same season, she finished fifth at the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympics, her best senior championship result up to that point.
At the 2022 European Athletics Championships final, Murto cleared three Finnish records to take her first senior international championship medal, a gold. She improved her outdoor best with a remarkable 13 centimetres to 4.85 m (15 ft 10+3⁄4 in). This mark equalled also the championship record of Katerina Stefanidi, who took silver this time behind Murto. Also in 2022, she placed sixth at the World Championships in Eugene, Oregon.
On 7 January 2023, she improved her own 6-year-old Finnish indoor record, clearing world-leading 4.75 m (15 ft 7 in) on her first attempt in Kuortane. Murto bettered her record at the European Indoor Championships held in March in Istanbul, soaring clear at 4.80 m (15 ft 8+3⁄4 in) on her first attempt for the gold medal.

## Statistics
### Personal bests

* Pole vault – 4.85 m (15 ft 10+3⁄4 in) (Munich 2022) NR
** Pole vault indoor – 4.80 m (15 ft 8+3⁄4 in) (Istanbul 2023) NR
** Pole vault indoor U20 – 4.71 m (15 ft 5+1⁄4 in) (Zweibrücken 2016) WU20R

### International competitions

Wilma Murto at the women's pole vault final at the European Athletics Championships in Munich on 17 August 2022.
Representing  Finland :
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Result |
| 2014 | World Junior Championships | Eugene, OR, United States | 25th (q) | 3.75 m |
| 2015 | European Indoor Championships | Prague, Czech Republic | – | DNS |
| 2015 | European Junior Championships | Eskilstuna, Sweden | – | NH |
| 2016 | European Championships | Amsterdam, Netherlands | 7th | 4.45 m |
| 2016 | World U20 Championships | Bydgoszcz, Poland | 3rd | 4.40 m |
| 2016 | Olympic Games | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | 24th (q) | 4.30 m |
| 2017 | European Indoor Championships | Belgrade, Serbia | 8th | 4.40 m |
| 2017 | European U20 Championships | Grosseto, Italy | 3rd | 4.15 m |
| 2018 | European Championships | Berlin, Germany | 17th (q) | 4.35 m |
| 2019 | European Indoor Championships | Glasgow, United Kingdom | 18th (q) | 4.10 m |
| 2019 | European U23 Championships | Gävle, Sweden | 5th | 4.20 m |
| 2019 | European Team Championships Super League | Bydgoszcz, Poland | 8th | 4.21 m |
| 2019 | World Championships | Doha, Qatar | 22nd (q) | 4.35 m |
| 2021 | European Indoor Championships | Toruń, Poland | 6th | 4.55 m |
| 2021 | Olympic Games | Tokyo, Japan | 5th | 4.50 m |
| 2022 | World Championships | Eugene, OR, United States | 6th | 4.60 m |
| 2022 | European Championships | Munich, Germany | 1st | 4.85 m =CR NR |
| 2023 | European Indoor Championships | Istanbul, Turkey | 1st | 4.80 m NR |
| 2023 | World Championships | Budapest, Hungary | 3rd | 4.80 m |
| 2024 | World Indoor Championships | Glasgow, United Kingdom | 9th | 4.55 m |
| 2024 | European Championships | Rome, Italy | 8th | 4.43 m |
| 2024 | Olympic Games | Paris, France | 6th | 4.70 m |

### National titles

* Finland-Sweden Athletics International
** Pole vault: 2023
* Finnish Athletics Championships
** Pole vault: 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021
* Finnish Indoor Athletics Championships
** Pole vault: 2019, 2020