Kamal Ghorui
Alysha Newman appears to be moving further into modelling after the Olympic bronze medallist revealed she has been invited to an in-person casting for Victoria’s Secret following her suspension from athletics. The Canadian pole vaulter, who won bronze at the Paris 2024 Olympics and went viral worldwide for her twerking celebration after clearing 4.85 metres, announced the update on social media this week. “See you soon Victoria’s Secret!” Newman wrote on Instagram. “What is life.” She also posted part of her audition clip to TikTok as speculation continues to grow around a possible long-term modelling career following her break from track and field.
Why Newman was banned from pole vault
Newman, now 32, was suspended by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) earlier this year after recording three anti-doping whereabouts failures within a 12-month period. On April 29, she officially received a 20-month suspension which was backdated to December 3, 2025, meaning she will become eligible to compete again in August 2027, less than a year before the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. According to the AIU’s written decision, the violations included:
- a filing failure in February 2025
- a missed test and filing failure in August 2025
- another filing failure later in August 2025
Under anti-doping regulations, three whereabouts failures within a 12-month period can lead to sanctions even without a positive drugs test. The AIU stated that Newman did not dispute the violations but explained the failures happened during what she described as “a period of significant personal and professional change”, which she said had become “increasingly disorganised and overwhelming”. According to the ruling, Newman missed one test because she could not find her car keys. The third missed test occurred after she informed doping officials that she “had to leave immediately to participate in the filming of a television game show”. The AIU also noted there was “no evidence of a pattern of last-minute changes or any conduct suggesting that the Athlete was seeking to evade Testing”.
FILE – Alysha Newman, of Canada, makes an attempt in the Women’s pole vault qualification during the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary, Aug. 21, 2023. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader, File)
Investigators further accepted that Newman had already decided to step away from athletics, which contributed to the reduced ban rather than the standard two-year suspension usually applied in whereabouts cases. The AIU said her decision to end her pole vault career “is a sufficiently unique/exceptional factor that may be considered in assessing her level of fault in the matter.” Her final appearances before the suspension came during Diamond League meetings in Qatar and Morocco in May 2025.
The Olympic celebration that went viral
Newman became one of the most talked-about athletes at the Paris 2024 Olympics after winning bronze in the women’s pole vault behind Katie Moon of the United States and Australia’s Nina Kennedy. The Canadian set a new national record by clearing 4.85 metres during the final and secured Canada’s first-ever Olympic medal in women’s pole vault. Moments later, Newman celebrated by bending over and twerking on the track in front of the cameras, with the clip rapidly spreading across social media. Speaking afterwards, Newman explained the emotion behind the moment. “I’m so excited,” she said. “I laugh because getting third is, I mean I’ve never got third, but it’s funny because you have to still wait and sit there and wait until the other girls are done. “So I’m so awkwardly standing there like, ‘What do I do? Do I celebrate? Do I kiss everyone? Do I cry?’” She added: “It was a really surreal moment and it was awesome. I just feel like I’m very emotionally stable right now and just feel so honoured to be the first (women’s) pole vaulter to bring home an Olympic medal for Canada.”
Newman’s OnlyFans account and growing modelling career
Long before her suspension, Newman had already built a large online following through modelling work and her OnlyFans account. Speaking previously to German outlet BILD, Newman defended her decision to join the platform. “I post a lot of my training sessions, talk about nutrition and lots of tips and tricks,” she said. “I earn money with what I post – you have to log in to find out. It makes me confident and I feel good about it. “Of course, many people have a certain cliché when they think of OnlyFans. I can’t change many people’s minds. But this website has connected me with many fans, more than any other pole vaulter before.” She also added: “What others think about it doesn’t bother me. I am who I am and I do it well.” As of May 2026, Newman’s OnlyFans page reportedly has more than 200,000 likes. Since stepping away from athletics, she has increasingly focused on modelling work and magazine appearances, with the Victoria’s Secret casting invitation becoming the clearest sign yet that her post-athletics career may now move heavily into fashion and entertainment.
