It was believed to be an unattainable height &ndash; a barrier that seemed physically impossible to reach.
Thirty-five years ago today, Sergey Bubka defied the odds, and gravity, becoming the first pole vaulter ever to clear six metres. The 22-year-old pole vault prodigy soared to the world record at the Paris International Track and Field Meet, shattering his previous mark of 5.94m, set in Rome in August 1984.
Bubka slightly grazed the crossbar with his chest, but it remained in place. Thus the Ukrainian athlete, at the time competing for the former Soviet Union, notched his fifth career outdoor world record and second in the French capital. He received a standing ovation from the 5000 spectators in attendance at Jean Bouin Stadium.
&ldquo;Six metres was mission impossible, no one believed this could happen &ndash; it was like 21st Century,&rdquo; Bubka said, recalling the accomplishment. &ldquo;The older generation 100% didn&rsquo;t believe someone could jump six metres in that period.
&ldquo;I missed my first two attempts and last attempt I cleared six metres and remember putting my finger up to show that I was the first,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;This was a surprise for everyone including me. I didn&rsquo;t think I could do it that day in Paris.
&ldquo;It was a historical moment and very exciting competition. It was the evening before Bastille Day and it was big news in France &ndash; they said it was like Gagarin being the first man to go into space.&rdquo;
Ironically, Bubka wasn&rsquo;t even intending to compete at the Paris meet and only decided to take part the morning of. He had flown into the French capital from Moscow that morning and only planned to transit to another meet in Nice a few days later.
&ldquo;Suddenly, the head of the delegation said we have an opportunity for you to compete &ndash; it was just a small group of five to seven athletes,&rdquo; Bubka explained. &ldquo;I phoned to my coach (Vitaly Petrov) and asked his permission and advice and he said, &lsquo;no problem you can compete&rsquo;.
&ldquo;We arrived to Paris and went to the hotel around 11 in the morning &ndash; we didn&rsquo;t have time for anything and after a half hour to change clothes, we went to the competition at Jean Bois Stade.
&ldquo;I warmed up and thought that I have a competition in Nice in two days so I don&rsquo;t want to take too many jumps,&rdquo; he recounted. &ldquo;I cleared 5.70m and Philippe Collet also cleared 5.70, but I took the lead and won the competition with 5.70m. I thought why do I need to jump 5.90m like I usually do, let&rsquo;s try six metres.&rdquo;
The six-metre vault was textbook &ndash; the fearless competitor nailed his plant and accelerated with perfect posture through the take-off phase, achieving the ideal reverse C position. Driving hard, his left leg acting as a pendulum, Bubka inverted at the right moment and rocketed skyward. He timed his turn to near perfection, gave a mighty push off the AMF Pacer pole and jack knifed over the crossbar. Despite a small brush of the bar, he flew over with room to spare.
&ldquo;It was a very good vault &ndash; very good running, very good rhythmics and good technique,&rdquo; Bubka recalled. &ldquo;I was in good shape when I came to France.&rdquo;
<h3>Lucky 13 &amp; the six-metre club</h3>
Interestingly, the astonishing leap in Paris was the second time Bubka had broken the world record on the 13th, having previously done so in London in July 1984. Bubka went on to break two more world records &ndash; one indoors, one outdoors &ndash; both on the 13th.
&ldquo;In my case, 13 was quite a lucky number &ndash; in Donetsk I lived on the 13th floor for many years and I did six metres on the 13th of July,&rdquo; Bubka said.
The 13 July 1985 six-metre jump was undoubtedly a breakthrough in Bubka&rsquo;s legendary two-decade pole vaulting career. He proceeded to win five additional world titles and Olympic gold in Seoul 1988. His biggest achievement prior to the historic six metre leap was winning the 1983 world title in Helsinki with a leap of 5.70m.&nbsp;
In total, Bubka broke 35 world records, his last coming indoors in his hometown of Donetsk, Ukraine, in February 1993, almost eight years after breaking the six-metre barrier.
To this day, just 23 other pole vaulters have joined Bubka in the exclusive six-metre club.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a little bit of a surprise to me that there are not many, but I believe we will see more as this young generation is very beautiful, great pole vaulters,&rdquo; he said.
<h3>Bubka on Duplantis</h3>
Bubka is certainly impressed by the prowess and untapped potential of Armand &ldquo;Mondo&rdquo; Duplantis, who has recently taken the pole vault world by storm, much like the Ukrainian legend did 35 years ago. Duplantis, 20, broke world records on consecutive weekends in February &ndash; in Torun, Poland and Glasgow, Scotland, raising the mark to 6.17m and 6.18m.
&ldquo;It is great for athletics that we have such a great guy, such a talent from such a devoted sporting family,&rdquo; Bubka said. &ldquo;Mondo is showing amazing results and very good potential. It is important for him, athletics and generally for sport.
&ldquo;We need personalities who will lead and drive athletics to another level. I like Mondo and I wish him all the best because he has a really unique talent.&rdquo;
For Bubka, whose current day-to-day responsibilities includes a triumvirate of leadership positions &ndash; president of the Ukraine national Olympic committee, World Athletics Senior Vice President and IOC Executive Board member &ndash; 13 July 1985 remains one of the most memorable days of his illustrious career, a game-changer for the event and beyond.
&ldquo;This was a new era for pole vault which opened new horizons, which gave belief for higher results over six metres,&rdquo; Bubka said. &ldquo;&ldquo;It was a historical day for athletics and human achievement, capability and possibilities for human beings.
&ldquo;This was something special and I&rsquo;m very proud and thankful for that.&rdquo;
Brian Pinelli for World Athletics&nbsp;

It was believed to be an unattainable height – a barrier that seemed physically impossible to reach.

Bubka reminisces on 35th anniversary of 'mission impossible' six-metre vault

IAAF Ambassadors Kajsa Bergqvist and Andreas Thorkildsen visited the Hvidovre Stadion in the Copenhagen suburbs on Friday (28) to run a Kids’ Clinic for 24 teenage athletes from around the Danish capital.Along with two local javelin coaches, Norway’s double Olympic champion Thorkildsen put four girls and eleven boys through their paces, and offered one-on-one coaching advice for the young throwers.<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="464" scrolling="no" src="//instagram.com/p/mGC-7QFVDu/embed/" width="400"></iframe>“It was really good,” said Thorkildsen afterwards. “The kids were enthusiastic and had a really good base knowledge. There were some talents there.“It was rewarding for me to try to help, and see the effect of some of the advice I’d given in their next throw.”Thorkildsen even gave his jacket to one of the young javelin throwers as a souvenir.“It was very nice,” said the thrilled recipient: 17-year-old Mikkel Bach Garbecht, who has a PB of 58.34m. “He [Andreas Thorkildsen] is a great man. I watched him at the 2009 World Championships, and now I’m standing here with him. It is amazing for me. Now I know what I should do when I start training again.”Over in the indoor training area, ten young Danish high jumpers had a two-hour session with the now-retired world indoor record-holder Kajsa Bergqvist.“It was really fun,” said Laura Poulsen, 14, and a 1.59m high jumper. “I learned that if it doesn’t go well, you just have to keep going to reach your goals. Kajsa is really cool, and very good at high jump!”Remarkably, as a 12-year-old, Bergqvist had travelled from her hometown of Sollentuna, Sweden, to Copenhagen’s Hvidovre Stadion, which is on Sollentuna Alle, to compete in an inter-schools competition in 1989.“It was a quarter of a century since I was last here,” said Bergqvist, who won the high jump that day, but remembers it more for the fact it was her first trip abroad without her parents.“I remember the family I stayed with in Copenhagen,” she says. “They took me to Tivoli Gardens.”Having just made the last-minute decision to run in the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships mass-race on Saturday (29 March), she’ll see the Tivoli Gardens again at the 20km mark.“I got so inspired at the press conference, I decided to run!” said Bergqvist. Apart from the requisite training and preparation, the only other thing she’s missing is a pair of sports sunglasses, although she joked that her designer pair may have to do.Back at the Kids Clinic, IAAF Vice President Sergey Bubka was also on hand to deliver a pep talk and some gifts to athletes young and old.Thorkildsen and Bergqvist were given t-shirts adorned with the image of a young Bubka mid-vault, to which Bergqvist retorted: “You were so good looking! Hey Sergey, I’m going to wear this for the race tomorrow.”So when you watch the race tomorrow, keep your eyes peeled for a former world high jump champion in designer shades and a Sergey Bubka t-shirt.James Charlton for the IAAF

IAAF Ambassadors Kajsa Bergqvist and Andreas Thorkildsen visited the Hvidovre Stadion in the Copenhagen suburbs on Friday (28) to run a Kids’ Clinic for 24 teenage athletes from around the Danish capital.

Bergqvist and Thorkildsen lead IAAF Ambassador Kids’ Clinic in Copenhagen

The 30th episode of IAAF Inside Athletics is now online.In this week's episode, Ato Boldon exclusively talks to pole vault legend and world record-holder Sergey Bubka.<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/SuBsoc8l-yM?rel=0&amp;showinfo=0" width="500"></iframe>Launched earlier this year, IAAF Inside Athletics is hosted by Boldon, Trinidad &amp; Tobago&rsquo;s 1997 World 200m champion, who is now a well-known and respected television broadcast analyst for ESPN and NBC.Exclusive to the IAAF, fans can interact and ask questions, either on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/WorldAthleticsClub">Facebook</a>, <a href="http://twitter.com/InsideATH">Twitter</a>, or by sending an email to: <a href="mailto:insideathletics@iaaf.org">insideathletics@iaaf.org</a>.If you enjoyed any of the previous episodes of IAAF Inside Athletics, then click &lsquo;like&rsquo; on the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/WorldAthleticsClub">IAAF World Athletics Club page on Facebook</a> and follow the show on Twitter <a href="http://twitter.com/InsideATH">@InsideATH</a>.IAAF

IAAF Inside Athletics – Sergey Bubka

The 30th episode of IAAF Inside Athletics is available to watch online.

Most of the questions at the second IAAF Ambassadors press conference in Moscow were directed to Ukraine's six-time World Pole Vault champion and IAAF Vice President Sergey Bubka.“I can’t believe that the first World Championships was 30 years ago; I guess that means I’m old!” said Bubka, when asked about how the sport has changed during that time. “Since then, the sport has become more and more professional, athletes communicate with the media and the sport is promoted well. We have fantastic athletes in this sport and they are great role models for younger athletes.”Naturally, as the World record-holder in the event, Bubka is looking forward to tomorrow’s Pole Vault final.“It will be a very exciting and interesting event,” he said. “I know from personal experience, the Luzhniki Stadium is a very special arena. I hope the weather will be good so the athletes can perform to their best. I believe there will be great results in a very exciting competition. I’d like to see something special, perhaps something over six metres.“I never try to make predictions, it’s against my principles,” he added, when pushed to pick a winner. “I was an athlete myself and in many cases I was the favourite but I didn’t win. No athlete likes to compete badly, so in my position as a sports administrator, I’d never want to put extra pressure on them.“Together with their coaches, they know what to do, so I just want to help them. Either way, I personally hope the Ukrainian team performs well and that we see a new generation of stars.”Despite Bubka’s six World titles, there was another athlete in the room who had an even higher tally of World Championships medals.Three-time World 200m champion Allyson Felix will be looking to add to the 10 medals she has already won at past IAAF World Championships. Now 27, the US sprinter made her World Championships debut 10 years ago in Paris.“Those 10 years have gone by really fast, but it’s been a really great experience seeing the changes at each World Championships,” she said. “I’ve been getting stronger each year, and I’ve learned so much from being around a lot of great athletes. It’s good to still be around 10 years later and seeing all the new faces that are coming through.“I hope I have been an inspiration to young girls, especially because I have a different body type to a lot of sprinters. I try to tell young girls to just embrace who you are and don’t try to change. You can still be strong and feminine.”Czech Republic's Roman Sebrle, the 2004 Olympic Decathlon champion, was talking at the press conference while his chosen event was taking place inside the stadium.At that moment in time, World record-holder Ashton Eaton was competing in the Pole Vault, looking to extend his lead over the rest of the field.“It’s an interesting competition; the Pole Vault especially has been really good. Ashton is jumping well and I think he’ll easily win.”Sebrle was also speaking on the day of the men’s 100m final and, as often happens in athletics press conferences, the topic of Usain Bolt came up.“I expect a very good race in the 100m,” said the former World record-holder and the first man to exceed 9000 points in his event. “Usain Bolt is, of course the main favourite, but I hope the other guys will make it an interesting race for the spectators.“He’s a role model because he’s been successful in the sprints and of course has inspired many people,” he added. “Thank God for Usain Bolt.”Jon Mulkeen for the IAAF

IAAF Ambassadors Press Conference 11 August: Roman Sebrle, Allyson Felix and Sergey Bubka

Most of the questions at the second IAAF Ambassadors press conference in Moscow were directed to six-time World Pole Vault champion and IAAF Vice President Sergey Bubka.

- READ ON for English and French language versions of this story - La traduction française suit le texte anglaisWith exactly one calendar month to go before Donetsk, Ukraine stages the 2013 IAAF World Youth Championships, from 10-14 July, this is the perfect moment to look back at the immense contribution athletes from this country have made to the sport.Although it is the first time that a city from Ukraine has been the host of an IAAF World Athletics Series event, the country having become independent in 1991, Ukrainian athletics success stretches back a century.Kiev staged the First All-Russian Olympiad in August 1913, with participants coming from all over what was the then Russian Empire but, in many of the athletics events, it was local athletes who shone.Turn the clock forward almost 40 years and Ukraine provided a significant proportion of the Soviet Union team that competed for the first time in the Olympic Games in 1952; and her country’s athletes started winning medals four years later in Melbourne.Ever since then, Ukraine has continued to assemble an impressive array of athletics heroes.Arguably the most notable of them all is Sergey Bubka, nowadays an IAAF Vice President but considered by most people to have few rivals as the greatest exponent in his event, the Pole Vault.Bubka won at the IAAF World Championships on six occasions and took the gold medal at the 1988 Olympic Games. He also broke the outdoor World record 17 times, including setting the current mark of 6.14m in 1994 and the indoor World record on 18 occasions. Alongside Bubka in the <a href="http://www.iaaf.org/athletes/hall-of-fame">IAAF Hall of Fame</a>, which sees Ukraine as the only country apart from the United States to have more than one member of the initial 24 stars of our sport that were inducted last year, is walker Vladimir Golubnichiy.Golubnichiy dominated the 20km Race Walk in a top class career lasting 20 years from the mid- 1950s to the 1970s. He set two official World records and won four Olympic Games medals, including golds in 1960 and 1968.Another famous Ukrainian athlete with two Olympic gold medals to his name is the Valery Borzov, who took a memorable 100m and 200m sprint double at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich and later in life became the President of the Ukraine Athletics Federation for many years.Female athletes from Ukraine became some of the most recognizable faces in the Soviet Union team at the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome with gold medals for Lyudmila Shevtsova and Vera Krepkina in the 800m and Long Jump respectively.Twenty years later, when Moscow hosted the 1980 Olympic Games, Nadyezhda Olizarenko was another Ukrainian runner to win an 800m gold medal and she did so in a phenomenal time of 1:53.43, which was a World record for almost three years and is still the second fastest time ever over two laps of the track.By the end of the decade, in the last few years of Ukrainian athletes wearing the red vest of the Soviet Union before changing to their now familiar national colours of blue and gold, Tatyana Samolenko notched up a memorable double over 1500m and 3000m at the 1987 World Championships and then won over the longer distance at the 1988 Olympic Games, before defending her World crown over 3000m in 1991.&nbsp; &nbsp;Inessa Kravets set a formidable World record in the Triple Jump when winning at the 1995 IAAF World Championships and her mark of 15.50m has not been beaten by anyone almost 18 years later. She went on to also win the Olympic gold in Atlanta the following year.In more recent times, Nataliya Dobrynska has become the heroine of Ukrainian athletics, winning the 2008 Olympic Games Heptathlon and then returning to the top of the podium last year at the IAAF World Indoor Championships where she won the Pentathlon title with a World indoor record.With such a roll call of illustrious names, Ukraine can quite rightly claim to have a special place in the history of athletics and this is an opportune moment to bring a major global event to the sport’s many aficionados in the country.IAAF À un mois de Donetsk 2013: le fier palmarès de l'athlétisme ukrainien Un mois exactement avant l'ouverture dans la ville ukrainienne de Donetsk des Championnats du monde Cadets de l'IAAF 2013 (10-14 juillet), le moment semble parfaitement indiqué pour passer en revue l'immense contribution à notre sport des athlètes de ce pays. Bien que ce soit la première fois qu'une ville ukrainienne accueille une épreuve de la Série mondiale de l'athlétisme de l'IAAF, le pays n'ayant accédé à l'indépendance qu'en 1991, les succès des athlètes de cette nation remontent à plus d'un siècle en arrière. Kiev a organisé la première Olympiade nationale russe en août 1913, rassemblant des participants issus de ce qui était alors l'Empire de Russie, mais ce sont au final surtout les athlètes locaux qui se sont illustrés au niveau des résultats. Près de quarante ans plus tard, en 1952, l'Ukraine fournissait une proportion significative de la première délégation soviétique à participer aux Jeux olympiques. Et dès l'édition suivante, à Melbourne, en 1956, les Ukrainiens ont remporté les premières médailles sous les couleurs soviétiques.Depuis lors, l'Ukraine a produit un nombre impressionnant de héros de l'athlétisme. Beaucoup avanceraient que le plus impressionnant de tous a été Sergey Bubka, aujourd'hui un vice-président de l'IAAF. Il est considéré par la plupart des observateurs comme ayant peu de rivaux pour le titre de plus grand perchiste de tous les temps. Bubka a remporté les Championnats du monde de l'IAAF à six reprises et remporté l'or aux Jeux olympiques de 1988. Il a également établi dix-sept records du monde, dont le record actuel, qui est de 6,14m - une barre franchie en 1994 - et dix-huit records du monde en salle.Le marcheur Vladimir Golubnichiy a été intronisé aux côtés de Bubka dans le Temple de la renommée de l'IAAF, où l'Ukraine est le seul pays avec les États-Unis à compter plus d'un représentant nommé l'an passé parmi ses 24 membres inauguraux.Golubnichiy a dominé le 20km marche tout au long d'une carrière au plus haut niveau qui a duré vingt ans, depuis le milieu des années 1950 jusque dans les années 1970. Il a notamment établi deux records du monde officiels et remporté quatre médailles olympiques, dont deux en or, en 1960 et 1968.Un autre athlète ukrainien célèbre qui compte deux titres olympiques à son palmarès est Valery Borzov, qui a réussi un mémorable doublé 100m/200m aux Jeux olympiques de Munich en 1972, et qui, par la suite, a officié comme président de la Fédération ukrainienne d'athlétisme pendant de nombreuses années.&nbsp;Les femmes ukrainiennes étaient parmi les sportives les plus connues de l'équipe soviétique des Jeux olympiques de Rome en 1960, avec des médailles d'or remportées par Lyudmila Shevtsova et Vera Krepkina dans, respectivement, le 800m et le saut en longueur. Vingt ans plus tard, alors que Moscou accueillait les Jeux, en 1980, l'Ukrainienne Nadyezhda Olizarenko remportait à son tour le 800m avec un temps phénoménal de 1'53"43, qui est resté le record du monde de la discipline pendant plus de trois ans, et demeure à date le second temps le plus rapide de l'histoire. Sur la fin de cette décennie, dans les dernières années pendant lesquelles les athlètes ukrainiens concouraient sous le rouge soviétique, avant donc de n'endosser le désormais très réputé bleu et or des couleurs nationales ukrainiennes, Tatyana Samolenko a réussi le doublé 1500m/3000m aux Championnats du monde de 1987, puis a triomphé sur 3000m aux Jeux olympiques de 1988, avant de défendre avec succès son titre mondial du 3000m en 1991.&nbsp;&nbsp; Inessa Kravets, elle, a établi un formidable record du monde au triple saut lors de sa victoire aux Championnats du monde de l'IAAF de 1995, et sa distance de 15,50m reste toujours insurpassée aujourd'hui, près de dix-huit ans plus tard. Elle a aussi remporté le titre olympique à Atlanta l'année suivante. Plus récemment, c'est Nataliya Dobrynska qui a endossé le rôle d'héroïne de l'athlétisme ukrainien, avec un titre olympique de l'heptathlon en 2008, puis un titre de championne du monde en salle du pentathlon remporté l'an passé avec, en prime, un nouveau record du monde. Forte d'un tel palmarès, l'Ukraine peut à juste titre se targuer d'une place spéciale dans l'histoire de l'athlétisme, et il est opportun de le rappeler alors même qu'elle s'apprête à offrir une compétition mondiale de premier plan à ses citoyens, dont un grand nombre sont de véritables passionnés d'athlétisme. IAAF

One month to go to Donetsk 2013 - Ukraine’s proud athletics history

With exactly one calendar month to go before Donetsk, Ukraine stages the 2013 IAAF World Youth Championships, from 10-14 July, this is the perfect moment to look back at the immense contribution athletes from this country have made to the sport.

- READ ON for English and French language versions of this story - La traduction française suit le texte anglaisDonetsk, host city for the the 2013 IAAF World Youth Championships, is continuing its campaign to promote athletics and a healthy lifestyle ahead of the first ever IAAF World Athletics Series event in Ukraine and the Athletic Donetsk region exhibition was recently opened at the Donetsk regional museum.It will be open for visitors during the Championships, which will be staged between 10-14 July at the RSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium.Guests at the opening ceremony included Alexander Gromakov, the Vice Chairman of Physical Culture and Sports in the Donetsk state administration; Viktor Smirnov, a six-time winner at the Paralympic Games; Valeriy Podluzhniy the 1974 European Athletics Championships Long Jump gold medallist; and Iryna Lishchynska, the 2008 Olympic Games 1500m silver medallist, who is now the director of the Local Organising Committee of the 2013 IAAF World Youth Championships. The exhibition will run during the Championships, and can be by accredited persons for free. &nbsp;Among 300 exhibits, covering all sports, of particular interest to athletics fans will be the running spikes of Irina Lishchynska which she used in Beijing and one of Sergey Bubka’s poles used to set his many world records.Bubka, now an IAAF Vice President but who hails from Donetsk, is widely considered to be the greatest ever pole vaulter. He won at the IAAF World Championships on six occasions and took the gold medal at the 1988 Olympic Games. He also broke the outdoor World record 17 times, including setting the current mark of 6.14m in 1994 and the indoor World record on 18 occasions. Donetsk 2013 LOC for the IAAF&nbsp;Une
exposition pour soutenir la promotion des Championnats du monde Cadets de
l'IAAF, Donetsk 2013 Donetsk, la ville hôte des Championnats du monde Cadets de l'IAAF 2013,
poursuit sa campagne de promotion de l'athlétisme et d'un mode de vie sain, en
amont de ce qui sera la toute première épreuve de la Série mondiale de
l'athlétisme de l'IAAF organisée en Ukraine. C'est dans ce cadre qu'a récemment été
inaugurée l'exposition sur le sport de la région de Donetsk, accueillie par le
Musée régional.Cette exposition sera ouverte aux visiteurs au
cours des Championnats, qui se tiennent du 10
au 14 juillet au Stade RSC Olimpiyskiy. Parmi les invités à la cérémonie d'ouverture
de l'exposition se trouvaient notamment Alexander Gromakov, vice-président du
département Culture physique et Sport de la région administrative &nbsp;de Donetsk, Viktor Smirnov, sextuple médaillé
d'or paralympique, Valeriy Podluzhniy, champion d'Europe du saut en longueur en
1974, et Iryna Lishchynska, médaillée d'argent olympique du 1500m en 2008 et directrice
du Comité d'organisation local des Championnats du monde Cadets de l'IAAF 2013.
L'exposition sera ouverte au cours des
Championnats, et l'accès sera gratuit à toute personne présentant son
accréditation officielle de la manifestation à l'entrée. Parmi les quelque trois cent artefacts représentant
toutes les disciplines sportives, les fans d'athlétisme porteront certainement
un intérêt tout particulier aux chaussures à pointes portées par Irina
Lishchynska à Pékin, ainsi qu'à une perche utilisée par Sergey Bubka à
l'occasion d'un de ses nombreux records du monde. Bubka, natif de Donetsk, et maintenant
vice-président de l'IAAF, est considéré comme le plus grand perchiste de tous
les temps. Champion du monde de l'IAAF à six reprises et médaillé d'or aux Jeux
olympiques de 1988, il a également battu le record du monde à dix-sept
reprises, dont le record mondial actuel de 6,14m, établi en 1994, et le record
du monde en salle dix-huit fois. Le COL
de Donetsk 2013 pour l'IAAF

Exhibition helps promote 2013 IAAF World Youth Championships in Donetsk

Donetsk, host city for the the 2013 IAAF World Youth Championships, is continuing its campaign to promote athletics and a healthy lifestyle ahead of the first ever IAAF World Athletics Series event in Ukraine and the Athletic Donetsk region exhibition was recently opened at the Donetsk regional museum.

He may be renowned as the most intense competitor in recent athletics history but Sergey Bubka was in relaxed mood as he chatted happily with guests in the lobby of the Doha Sheraton, HQ of Thursday's Qatar International Grand Prix II meeting. "I look pretty good there," he laughed as he looked through some snap shots taken on a recent fishing trip in Doha Bay, on the Persian Gulf. Like all true anglers he would have been happy to exaggerate the size of his catch, but the photos made this difficult ... The Czar Sergey seemed glad to face the start of a new season without the pain that had bedevilled him in 1997 - and which had made his victory in Athens all the more dramatic. "I am really looking forward to 1998 - and I feel good both mentally and physically." One of Bubka's more recent sporting appearances had been for a Charity football match in Monaco organised by Prince Albert. An enthusiastic soccer player during his youth in the Ukraine, Bubka was nevertheless a bit reluctant to play for the Prince's 11. "The reason was that the first time I played in a Charity Games I scored a few goals but was almost crippled by a terrible tackle. For this reason I was happy to hide behind my team mates this time ... I wanted to be sensible, there are still some things I want to achieve as an athlete." Bubka was also pleased to note that women would be competing in Doha for the first time and praised the local federation for organising a Workshop "The Growing Role of Women in Sport and Society" - an important step for women's sport in the region. "As a pole vaulter I remember I was a little sceptical at first when women took up the sport because you need a lot of physical strength to be a vaulter. Yet I have now seen a lot of women vaulters and am really impressed by how they tackle the technical - more gymnastic part of the event. In a recent training weekend with young male and female vaulters (The International Athletic Foundation -Zepter Masterclass) I recall that the best technique was shown by a young woman. So I am completely in favour of giving women the chance in sport."Nick Davies for the IAAF