Briton finally secures the global medal she craved while top spot goes to USA after a brilliant competition at the Olympic Games in Tokyo on Thursday

The USA team are having a mixed championships and not doing well in their traditionally strong events such as men’s sprints and hurdles, but they are winning in a variety of other areas, and Katie Nageotte won a thrilling women’s pole vault competition against Anzhelika Sidorova and Holly Bradshaw.

The reigning world champion had to settle for silver this time while British athlete Bradshaw won the first global medal of her career with an inspired third place, becoming her country’s first female Olympic jumps medallist since 1984, when Sue Hearnshaw took bronze in the long jump.

The 29-year-old has been one of Britain’s most consistent athletes of the last decade and though she was won a European Indoor and European under-23 title, a global medal had been just been beyond her reach. Until now.

She had amassed five global top-seven places, including sixth at London 2012 and fifth in Rio. There was also a World Championships fourth place in Doha two years ago, while her British record leap of 4.90m at the Olympic trials showed she was moving in the right direction.

The event started slowly at the opening height of 4.50m, with only five first-time clearances, five going over at the second time of asking and three on their final attempt. Anicka Newell and Morgan Leleux Romero left without clearing a height.

Sidorova and Bradshaw cleared their first attempts but world leader Nageotte was on the backfoot straight away after two failures.

The bar then went up to 4.70m, a height which only four competitors cleared. There was incredulity about so many struggling but people seem to forget that this height won a medal for the great Yelena Isinbayeva in London in 2012 and that only nine athletes had cleared 4.75m all season so it was hardly surprising that it was beyond so many under the pressure of an Olympic final.

Sidorova was the only athlete to clear 4.70m first time around but Nageotte and Bradshaw went over on the second attempt. The only other athlete to clear the height was the defending champion Katerina Stefanidi, but she only did so at the third attempt and was out of the medals at this stage.

The bar was raised to 4.80m and Sidorova maintained her dominance to go over right away. Now a more assured Nageotte joined her. Bradshaw had a poor first attempt and her medal hopes looked shaky when Stefanidi went over on the second attempt to move into third.

The pressure was now on but the Briton responded magnificently to go clear at her second attempt and move back into third.

The bar then went up to 4.85m – a height that only Sidorova, Nageotte and Bradshaw had achieved this year – and a mark that has always previously won a medal. All three went over immediately, with Stefanidi struggling at her first attempt and then knowing she would need a 4.90m clearance to continue to fight for the medals.

Bradshaw’s clearance of 4.85m actually took her past the American into second as she had fewer failures overall.

Stefanidi did not go vaguely close at 4.90m and surprisingly it was beyond Sidorova too but Nageotte went over at the second attempt and was in the gold medal position.

Bradshaw had a good second attempt at 4.90m, knowing she would pass Sidorova who went up to 4.95m for her last attempt as she had nothing to gain by a clearance.

However, both the Russian ANA representative and Bradshaw were unable to clear and Nageotte had her first global success.

She had two early-season defeats but then hit superb form with a PB and world lead 4.93m which she improved under pressure to jump 4.95m at the US Trials before then winning the Monaco Diamond League with 4.90m.

The only doubt was over her competitive experience at the highest level. Even though she is aged 30, her previous global outdoor outing was Doha where she finished seventh.

“It hasn’t even begun to sink in yet,” said Nageotte. “This is the biggest dream I have ever had for myself and here I am living the dream.

“It was the worst warm-up I have had in a long time and I did an ugly first few jumps. It took me a few heights to get into it, but I was just fighting and I finally found a smooth jump. It came together.”

Sidorova was disappointed with her silver medal, but confirmed her great competitive mettle.

Bradshaw, however, was delighted to finally make a global outdoor podium.

“I honestly can’t believe it – I am feeling elation, relief,” the Scott Simpson-coached athlete said. “I didn’t know it was going to ever come my way.

“I knew I needed to deliver 4.80m and 4.85m to get a medal and when Katerina went third I thought ‘not again’ and I did it and it was a blur. It’s really exciting to be out there with your friends and I told Katie at one stage to calm down.

“I can do all three championships next year – Europeans, Worlds, Commonwealths and even World indoors. I’m improving and the world is my oyster.”