Next eventOlympic GamesParis-St-Denis 20241 Aug 2024
Logo

Previews18 Aug 2004


Men's Pole Vault PREVIEW

FacebookTwitterEmail

Perhaps sparked by the 6.00 vault by American Toby Stevenson in May - the first six-metre jump in almost three years - the event has seemingly undergone a rebirth this year, with no less than seventeen vaulters at 5.80 or higher already this season. Removing those not going to Athens still leaves eleven combatants in that upper echelon.

Two names stand out within that august group - Stevenson and his teammate Tim Mack.  Between them, they own thirteen of the year’s twenty-five performances at 5.80 and higher (Stevenson with eight, Mack with five) represented on the Athens start list. 

Only the third American, Derek Miles, with three, and the reigning European bronze medallist Tim Lobinger of Germany, with two, have multiple excursions into that range this season. They, too, rate as solid medal contenders. 

The vault, as is the case with all vertical jumps, is a highly unpredictable event. As proof, one needs only to look at Giuseppe Gibilisco’s surprise win last summer in Paris. The chances of the three medals falling into the hands of the four list-leaders is not overly high, given the event’s unforgiving penalty assessment for every miss. This usually ensures at least one unexpected vaulter on the victory stand when all is done. 

A search for other possible medallists yields a rather long list, mostly based on a single performance for each at the top level.   Israel’s Alex Averbukh (5.85), the current European champion, has shown an ability to jump well under championships conditions, as has former World champion Dmitriy Markov of Australia (5.80). 

Third in Paris last year, Patrik Kristiansson of Sweden (5.80) is the only medallist from last year’s championships going to Athens in full physical condition. Reigning World champion Giuseppe Gibilisco of Italy has been suffering from a knee condition, but a 5.75 in a small meeting at his Italian training base just before his Athens departure shows that this problem may be gone. Additionally, Paris silver medallist Okkert Brits of South Africa (5.67) has been dealing with a hamstring strain which may put him at less than 100%.

Although he had two of the top three performances in the world last year, Romain Mesnil of France (5.80) seems to have stalled out at a lower level this year. Whether he can break out in Athens remains to be seen. 

Lars Börgeling of Germany (5.80) seems to have bounced back from some inconsistencies last year, and the European silver medallist could be one of the surprises. 

Both Daichi Sawano of Japan (5.80) and former World Indoor bronze medallist Rens Blom of the Netherlands (5.81) set national records in June and could impact the results. 

Of the Russian trio, World Indoor champion Igor Pavlov (5.76) would seem to have the best chance for overperforming and moving into the medal chase.

EG

Pages related to this article
DisciplinesCompetitions