News02 May 2004


Chiaraviglio vaults 5.51m World Youth Best

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German Chiaraviglio - on the rise (© Getty Images)

Argentina’s Germán Chiaraviglio, the 2003 IAAF World Youth Champion, bettered the Under-18 Pole Vault World Best Performance, when he jumped 5.51m on Saturday, 1 May, during the 5th stage of the South American Grand Prix, the “Meeting UCS-Sogipa de Atletismo”, in Porto Alegre, Brazil.

The previous mark belonged to Hungary’s István Bagyula, who had jumped 5.50 in Milan, Italy, on 19 June 1986.

Chiaraviglio, born in Santa Fe, on April 16 1987, started his competition at 4.80, a height he cleared on his first attempt, as he also did at 5.00 and 5.15.

“At those heights I used a pole of 16 feet and 190 pounds, and then switched to one of 16 and 195”, he said. “Then, I attemped 5.33 which was 1 centimetre more than my personal best. That was cleared on my third try. My next height was 5.41, one centimetre over the Argentinean national record, and it came on the second attempt”, he added.

“The World Youth height was next, and 5.51 was cleared on the first attempt. By that time, I was exhausted, still, I tried the B standard for the Olympic Games, 5.55, but my legs were tired by then. It would have been a dream to achieve that too…”

Full series - 5.00/1 5.15/1 5.33/3 5.41/1 5.51/1 5.55/xxx.

Only a few Argentineans have had the honour of bettering a World best or record before. José Ribas at 30,000m in 1932, and Juan Carlos Zabala, the Marathon Olympic Champion in Los Angeles ’32, who in 1931 also beat the 30,000m mark, and in 1936 the 20,000m best.

In the Under-20 cathegory, Antonio Fondevila and Gerardo Bönhoff in 100m, Osvaldo Suárez in 10,000m and Alberto Triulzi in 110mh, also improved the World Junior record.

National junior javelin record

Other good marks in Porto Alegre, were obtained by another World Youth Champion, Júlio César de Oliveira (BRA) in the Javelin, with 73.19, a new national junior record, and by Alejandra García (ARG) with 4.35 in the women’s Pole Vault.

The next stop of the South American circuit will be on Saturday, May 8 in Santiago de Chile.

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