Katie Nageotte

Olympian, Kate Nageotte, Immortalises Father With This Act Before Her Games

Katie Nageotte is an Olympic Champion ,World Champion NIKE Pole Vaulter athlete who has a fascinating feature to her performances.

Moments before she pole vaults, she always hit one of her shoes. In a pinned message on her twitter, Katie says

“For my entire career, since he passed away, I’ve written “Dad” on the inside of my spike and I tap it before big jumps. This is the first picture I’ve ever received with me doing it, and the fact that it’s in a Team USA uniform makes it that much more special”.

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Katie Nageotte taps her shoe before her performances. Picture credit: Quora

This is said to be done to immortalise her father. After her father’s death, she’s been writing “Dad” on her shoes.

Her father, Mark Nageotte, died in 2007 from a heart attack at age 45, when she was just 16

In  an interview with Cleveland.com., she’s quoted:

Tokyo 2020 - Athletics
Katie Nageotte writes dad in the inner sole of her shoe to honor her late father. Picture credit: Today.com

“He was my biggest supporter,” she shared. “In every sport, he would take me to practices or camps or clinics. He knew I was athletic, and he said, ‘If you’re going to do something, I want you to be really good at it.’ He would pay extra for private lessons, things like that.”

Katie and her father. Picture credit: meaww.com

According to her, her father was a great inspiration to her during her games. ‘When I do tap my spikes, I think ‘alright, let’s go, dad. Let’s do it’.

For more stories about her craft and how she immortalises her father, follow her on instagram and twitter on

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