Pole vault

Athletics Pole vault
An athlete in the middle of the vaulting phase
Men's records
World	Renaud Lavillenie 6.16 m (20 ft 2 1⁄2 in) (2014)
Olympic	Thiago Braz da Silva 6.03 m (19 ft 9 1⁄4 in) (2016)
Women's records
World	Yelena Isinbayeva 5.06 m (16 ft 7 in) (2009)
Olympic	Yelena Isinbayeva 5.05 m (16 ft 6 3⁄4 in) (2008)

Pole vaulting is a track and field event in which a person uses a long flexible pole (which today is usually made either of fiberglass or carbon fiber) as an aid to jump over a bar. Pole jumping competitions were known to the ancient Greeks, Cretans and Celts. It has been a full medal event at the Olympic Games since 1896 for men and 2000 for women.

It is typically classified as one of the four major jumping events in athletics, alongside the high jump, long jump and triple jump. It is unusual among track and field sports in that it requires a significant amount of specialised equipment in order to participate, even at a basic level. A number of elite pole vaulters have had backgrounds in gymnastics, including world record breakers Yelena Isinbayeva and Brian Sternberg, reflecting the similar physical attributes required for the sports.^[1][2] Running speed, however, may be the most dominant factor.

Contents

• 
  1 History
  


• 
  2 Modern vaulting
  


• 
  3 Technology
  


• 
  4 Technique
  
  
  
  • 
    4.1 Approach
    
  
  
  • 
    4.2 Plant and take-off
    
  
  
  • 
    4.3 Swing up
    
  
  
  • 
    4.4 Extension
    
  
  
  • 
    4.5 Turn
    
  
  
  • 
    4.6 Fly-away
    
  
  
  
  


• 
  5 Terminology
  


• 
  6 All-time top 25 athletes
  
  
  
  • 
    6.1 Men (comprehensive)
    
    
    
    • 
      6.1.1 Notes
      
    
    
    
    
  
  
  • 
    6.2 Women (comprehensive)
    
    
    
    • 
      6.2.1 Notes
      
    
    
    
    
  
  
  
  


• 
  7 Six metres club
  


• 
  8 Five metres club
  


• 
  9 Milestones
  


• 
  10 Olympic medalists
  
  
  
  • 
    10.1 Men
    
  
  
  • 
    10.2 Women
    
  
  
  
  


• 
  11 World Championships medalists
  
  
  
  • 
    11.1 Men
    
  
  
  • 
    11.2 Women
    
  
  
  
  


• 
  12 World Indoor Championships medalists
  
  
  
  • 
    12.1 Men
    
  
  
  • 
    12.2 Women
    
  
  
  
  


• 
  13 Season's bests
  
  
  
  • 
    13.1 Men
    
  
  
  • 
    13.2 Women
    
  
  
  
  


• 
  14 Notes and references
  


• 
  15 External links
  

History

Pole vault in the 1890s at US Naval Academy

Traditional fierljeppen in the Netherlands, using poles to clear distances over rivers

Poles were used as a practical means of passing over natural obstacles in marshy places such as provinces of Friesland in the Netherlands, along the North Sea, and the great level of the Fens across Cambridgeshire, Huntingdonshire, Lincolnshire and Norfolk. Artificial draining of these marshes created a network of open drains or canals intersecting each other. To cross these without getting wet, while avoiding tedious roundabout journeys over bridges, a stack of jumping poles was kept at every house and used for vaulting over the canals. Venetian gondoliers have traditionally used punting poles for moving to the shore from their boat.^{[citation needed]}

Distance pole vaulting competitions continue to be held annually in the lowlands around the North Sea. These far-jumping competitions (Frysk: Fierljeppen) are not based on height.^[3]

In his book The Mechanics of the Pole Vault, Richard Ganslen reports that the London Gymnastic Society under Professor Voelker held measured pole vaulting events in 1826, involving 1,300 participants and recording heights up to 10 ft 10 in (3.3 m).^[4] Other early pole vaulting competitions where height was measured took place at the Ulverston Football and Cricket Club, Lancashire, north of the sands (now Cumbria) in 1843.^[5] Modern competition began around 1850 in Germany, when pole vaulting was added to the exercises of the Turner gymnastic clubs by Johann C. F. GutsMuths and Friedrich L. Jahn. In Great Britain, it was first practiced at the Caledonian Games.

Initially, vaulting poles were made from stiff materials such as bamboo or aluminum. The introduction of flexible vaulting poles in the early 1950s made from composites such as fiberglass or carbon fiber allowed vaulters to achieve greater height.^[6] Physical attributes such as speed, agility and strength are essential to pole vaulting effectively, but technical skill is an equally if not more important element. The object of pole vaulting is to clear a bar or crossbar supported upon two uprights (standards) without knocking it down.

Pole vaulter Allison Stokke prepares for her jump

In 2000, IAAF rule 260.18a (formerly 260.6a) was amended, so that "world records" (as opposed to "indoor world records") can be set in a facility "with or without roof". This rule was not applied retroactively,^[7] With many indoor facilities not conforming to outdoor track specifications for size and flatness, the pole vault is the only world record set indoors.

Modern vaulting

Today, athletes compete in the pole vault as one of the four jumping events in track and field. Because the high jump and pole vault are both vertical jumps, the competitions are conducted similarly. Each athlete can choose what height they would like to enter the competition. Once they enter, they have three attempts to clear the height. If a height is cleared, the vaulter advances to the next height, where they will have three more attempts. Once the vaulter has three consecutive misses, they are out of the competition and the highest height they cleared is their result. A "no height", often denoted "NH", refers to the failure of a vaulter to clear any bar during the competition.

Once the vaulter enters the competition, they can choose to pass heights. If a vaulter achieves a miss on their first attempt at a height, they can pass to the next height, but they will only have two attempts at that height, as they will be out once they achieve three consecutive misses. Similarly, after earning two misses at a height, they could pass to the next height, when they would have only one attempt.

An athlete passes the bar with the aid of a pole

The competitor who clears the highest height is the winner. If two or more vaulters have finished with the same height, the tie is broken by the number of misses at the final height. If the tied vaulters have the same number of misses at the last height cleared, the tie is broken by the total number of misses in the competition.

If there is still a tie for first place, a jump-off occurs to break the tie. Marks achieved in this type of jump-off are considered valid and count for any purpose that a mark achieved in a normal competition would.

If a tie in the other places still exists, a jump-off is not normally conducted, unless the competition is a qualifying meet, and the tie exists in the final qualifying spot. In this case, an administrative jump-off is conducted to break the tie, but the marks are not considered valid for any other purpose than breaking the tie.

A jump-off is a sudden death competition in which the tied vaulters attempt the same height, starting with the last attempted height. If both vaulters miss, the bar goes down by a small increment, and if both clear, the bar goes up by a small increment. A jump-off ends when one vaulter clears and the other misses. Each vaulter gets one attempt at each height until one makes and one misses.

The equipment and rules for pole vaulting are similar to the high jump. Unlike high jump, however, the athlete in the vault has the ability to select the horizontal position of the bar before each jump and can place it a distance beyond the back of the box, the metal pit that the pole is placed into immediately before takeoff. The range of distance the vaulter may place the standards varies depending on the level of competition.

Painting by former athlete Raffaello Ducceschi depicting the pole vault

If the pole used by the athlete dislodges the bar from the uprights, a foul attempt is ruled, even if the athlete has cleared the height. An athlete does not benefit from quickly leaving the landing pad before the bar has fallen. The exception to this rule if the vaulter is vaulting outdoors and has made a clear effort to throw the pole back, but the wind has blown the pole into the bar; this counts as a clearance. This call is made at the discretion of the pole vault official. If the pole breaks during the execution of a vault, it is considered an equipment failure and is ruled a non-jump, neither a make nor a miss. Other types of equipment failure include the standards slipping down or the wind dislodging the bar when no contact was made by the vaulter.

Each athlete has a set amount of time in which to make an attempt. The amount of time varies by level of competition and the number of vaulters remaining. If the vaulter fails to begin an attempt within this time, the vaulter is charged with a time foul and the attempt is a miss.

Poles are manufactured with ratings corresponding to the vaulter's maximum weight. Some organizations forbid vaulters to use poles rated below their weight as a safety precaution. The recommended weight corresponds to a flex rating that is determined by the manufacturer by placing a standardized amount of stress (most commonly a 50 lb (23 kg) weight) on the pole and measuring how much the center of the pole is displaced. Therefore, two poles rated at the same weight are not necessarily the same stiffness.

Because pole stiffness and length are important factors to a vaulter's performance, it is not uncommon for an elite vaulter to carry as many as ten poles to a competition. The effective properties of a pole can be changed by gripping the pole higher or lower in relation to the top of the pole. The left and right handgrips are typically a bit more than shoulder width apart. Poles are manufactured for people of all skill levels and body sizes, with sizes as short as 3.05 m (10 ft 0 in) to as long as 5.30 m (17 ft 5 in), with a wide range of weight ratings. Each manufacturer determines the weight rating for the pole and the location of the maximum handhold band.

However speed is the most essential element to higher jumps, because the energy produced by the run (12mv2{displaystyle {frac {1}{2}}mv^{2}},m{displaystyle m}=mass of the athlete;v{displaystyle v}=speed) is converted to vertical propulsion (gravitational potential energy) (mass x height x acceleration due to gravity(9.81ms−2{displaystyle 9.81ms^{-2}})).

Technology

Competitive pole vaulting began using solid ash poles. As the heights attained increased, the bamboo poles gave way to tubular aluminum,^[8] which was tapered at each end. Today's pole vaulters benefit from poles produced by wrapping pre-cut sheets of fiberglass that contains resin around a metal pole mandrel, to produce a slightly curved pole that bends more easily under the compression caused by an athlete's take-off. The shape of the fiberglass sheets and the amount of fiberglass used is carefully planned to provide the desired length and stiffness of pole. Different fiber types, including carbon-fiber, are used to give poles specific characteristics intended to promote higher jumps. In recent years, carbon fiber has been added to the commonly used E-glass and S-glass materials to create a lighter pole.

As in the high jump, the landing area was originally a heap of sawdust or sand where athletes landed on their feet. As technology enabled higher vaults, mats evolved into bags of large chunks of foam. Today's high-tech mats are foam usually 1–1.5 meters (3 ft 3 in–4 ft 11 in) thick. Mats are growing larger in area as well to minimize risk of injury. Proper landing technique is on the back or shoulders. Landing on the feet should be avoided, to eliminate the risk of injury to the lower extremities, particularly ankle sprains.

Rule changes over the years have resulted in larger landing areas and additional padding of all hard and unyielding surfaces.

The pole vault crossbar has evolved from a triangular aluminum bar to a round fiberglass bar with rubber ends. This is balanced on standards and can be knocked off when it is hit by a pole vaulter or the pole. Rule changes have led to shorter pegs and crossbar ends that are semi-circular.

Technique

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Phases of pole vaulting

Although many techniques are used by vaulters at various skill levels to clear the bar, the generally accepted technical model can be broken down into several phases:

Approach

During the approach the pole vaulter sprints down the runway in such a way as to achieve maximum speed and correct position to initiate takeoff at the end of the approach. Top class vaulters use approaches with 18 to 22 strides, often referred to as a "step" in which every other foot is counted as one step. The run-up to the vaulting pit begins forcefully with the vaulter running powerfully in a relaxed, upright position with knees lifted and torso leaning very slightly forward. The head, shoulders and hips are aligned, the vaulter increasing speed as the body becomes erect. The tip of the vaulting pole is angled higher than eye level until three paces from takeoff, when the pole tip descends efficiently, amplifying run speed as the pole is planted into the vault box. The faster the vaulter can run and the more efficient their take-off is, the greater the kinetic energy that can be achieved and used during the vault.

Plant and take-off

The plant and take off is initiated typically three steps out from the final step. Vaulters will usually count their steps backwards from their starting point to the box only counting the steps taken on the left foot (vice versa for left-handers) except for the second step from the box, which is taken by the right foot. For example; a vaulter on a "ten count" (referring to the number of counted steps from the starting point to the box) would count backwards from ten, only counting the steps taken with the left foot, until the last three steps taken and both feet are counted as three, two, one. These last three steps are normally quicker than the previous strides and are referred to as the "turn-over". The goal of this phase is to efficiently translate the kinetic energy accumulated from the approach into potential energy stored by the elasticity of the pole, and to gain as much initial vertical height as possible by jumping off the ground. The plant starts with the vaulter raising their arms up from around the hips or mid-torso until they are fully outstretched above the head, with the right arm extended directly above the head and the left arm extended perpendicular to the pole (vice versa for left-handed vaulters). At the same time, the vaulter is dropping the pole tip into the box. On the final step, the vaulter jumps off the trail leg which should always remain straight and then drives the front knee forward. As the pole slides into the back of the box the pole begins to bend and the vaulter continues up and forward, leaving the trail leg angled down and behind.

Swing up

The swing and row simply consists of the vaulter swinging the trail leg forward and rowing the pole, bringing the top arm down to the hips, while trying to keep the trail leg straight to store more potential energy into the pole, the rowing motion also keeps the pole bent for a longer period of time for the vaulter to get into optimum position. Once in a "U" shape the left arm hugs the pole tight to efficiently use the recoil within the pole. The goal is to carry out these motions as thoroughly and as quickly as possible; it is a race against the unbending of the pole. Effectively, this causes a double pendulum motion, with the top of the pole moving forward and pivoting from the box, while the vaulter acts as a second pendulum pivoting from the right hand. This action gives the vaulter the best position possible to be "ejected" off the pole. The swing continues until the hips are above the head and the arms are pulling the pole close to the chest; from there the vaulter shoots their legs up over the cross bar while keeping the pole close.^[9][10]

Extension

The extension refers to the extension of the hips upward with outstretched legs as the shoulders drive down, causing the vaulter to be positioned upside down. This position is often referred to as "inversion". While this phase is executed, the pole begins to recoil, propelling the vaulter quickly upward. The hands of the vaulter remain close to the body as they move from the shins back to the region around the hips and upper torso.

Turn

The turn is executed immediately after or even during the end of the rockback. As the name implies, the vaulter turns 180° toward the pole while extending the arms down past the head and shoulders. Typically the vaulter will begin to angle their body toward the bar as the turn is executed, although ideally the vaulter will remain as vertical as possible. A more accurate description of this phase of the vault may be "the spin" because the vaulter spins around an imaginary axis from head to toe.

Fly-away

This is often highly emphasized by spectators and novice vaulters, but it is arguably the easiest phase of the vault and is a result of proper execution of previous phases. This phase mainly consists of the vaulter pushing off the pole and releasing it so it falls away from the bar and mats. As the torso goes over and around the bar, the vaulter is facing the bar. Rotation of the body over the bar occurs naturally, and the vaulter's main concern is making sure that their arms, face and any other appendages do not knock the bar off as they go over. The vaulter should land near the middle of the foam landing mats, or pits, face up.

Terminology

• 
  Bar: The cross bar that is suspended above the ground by the standards.


• 
  Box: A trapezoidal indentation in the ground with a metal or fiberglass covering at the end of the runway in which vaulters "plant" their pole. The back wall of the box is nearly vertical and is approximately 8 inches (20 cm) in depth. The bottom of the box gradually slopes upward approximately 3 feet (90 cm) until it is level with the runway. The covering in the box ensures the pole will slide to the back of the box without catching on anything. The covering's lip overlaps onto the runway and ensures a smooth transition from all-weather surface so a pole being planted does not catch on the box.


• 
  Drive knee: During the plant phase, the knee is driven forward at the time of "takeoff" to help propel the vaulter upward.


• 
  Grip: The location of the vaulter's top hand on the pole. As the vaulter improves, their grip may move up the pole incrementally. The other hand is typically placed shoulder-width down from the top hand. Hands are not allowed to grip the very top of the pole (their hand perpendicular to the pole) for safety reasons.


• 
  Jump foot: The foot that the vaulter uses to leave the ground as they begin their vault. It is also referred to as the take-off foot.


• 
  Pit: The mats used for landing in pole vault.


• 
  Plant position: The position a vaulter is in the moment the pole reaches the back of the box and the vaulter begins their vault. Their arms are fully extended and their drive knee begins to come up as they jump.


• 
  Pole: The fiberglass equipment used to propel the vaulter up and over the bar. One side is stiffer than the other to facilitate the bending of the pole after the plant. A vaulter may rest the pole on their arm to determine which side is the stiff side.


• 
  Standards: The equipment that holds the bar at a particular height above the ground. Standards may be adjusted to raise and lower the bar and also to adjust the horizontal position of the bar.


• 
  Steps: Since the box is in a fixed position, vaulters must adjust their approach to ensure they are in the correct position when attempting to vault.


• 
  Swing leg or trail leg: The swing leg is also the jump foot. After a vaulter has left the ground, the leg that was last touching the ground stays extended and swings forward to help propel the vaulter upwards.


• 
  Volzing: A method of holding or pushing the bar back onto the pegs while jumping over a height. This takes considerable skill, although it is now against the rules and counted as a miss. The technique is named after U.S. Olympian Dave Volz, who made an art form of the practice and surprised many by making the U.S. Olympic team in 1992.

All-time top 25 athletes

See also: Men's pole vault world record progression, Women's pole vault world record progression, and Men's pole vault indoor world record progression

Key

  set prior to IAAF acceptance of indoor events as equivalent with outdoor events (in 2000)

Men (comprehensive)

• Corrected after European Athletics Championships 2018


• Correct as of August 2018^[11][12]
  

Rank	Mark	Athlete	Date	Venue	Ref
1	6.16 m (20 ft 2 1⁄2 in)	Renaud Lavillenie (FRA)	15 February 2014	Donetsk (indoor)	[13]
2	6.15 m (20 ft 2 in)	Sergey Bubka (UKR)	21 February 1993	Donetsk (indoor)
3	6.06 m (19 ft 10 1⁄2 in)	Steve Hooker (AUS)	7 February 2009	Boston (indoor)
4	6.05 m (19 ft 10 in)	Maksim Tarasov (RUS)	16 June 1999	Athens
		Dmitri Markov (AUS)	9 August 2001	Edmonton
		Armand Duplantis (SWE)	12 August 2018	Berlin	[14]
7	6.04 m (19 ft 9 3⁄4 in)	Brad Walker (USA)	8 June 2008	Eugene
8	6.03 m (19 ft 9 1⁄4 in)	Okkert Brits (RSA)	18 August 1995	Cologne
		Jeff Hartwig (USA)	14 June 2000	Jonesboro
		Thiago Braz da Silva (BRA)	15 August 2016	Rio de Janeiro	[15]
11	6.02 m (19 ft 9 in)	Radion Gataullin (URS)	4 February 1989	Gomel (indoor)
12	6.01 m (19 ft 8 1⁄2 in)	Igor Trandenkov (RUS)	4 July 1996	Saint Petersburg
		Timothy Mack (USA)	18 September 2004	Monaco
		Yevgeny Lukyanenko (RUS)	1 July 2008	Bydgoszcz
		Björn Otto (GER)	5 September 2012	Aachen
16	6.00 m (19 ft 8 in)	Tim Lobinger (GER)	27 August 1997	Cologne
		Jean Galfione (FRA)	6 March 1999	Maebashi (indoor)
		Danny Ecker (GER)	11 February 2001	Dortmund (indoor)
		Toby Stevenson (USA)	8 May 2004	Modesto
		Paul Burgess (AUS)	25 February 2005	Perth
		Piotr Lisek (POL)	4 February 2017	Potsdam (indoor)	[16]
		Sam Kendricks (USA)	24 June 2017	Sacramento	[17]
		Timur Morgunov (RUS)	12 August 2018	Berlin	[18]
	6.00 m (19 ft 8 in) A	Shawnacy Barber (CAN)	15 January 2016	Reno (indoor)	[19]
25	5.98 m (19 ft 7 1⁄4 in)	Lawrence Johnson (USA)	25 May 1996	Knoxville

Notes

Below is a list of vaults equal or superior to 6.00m.

• 
  Sergey Bubka also vaulted 6.14 m (20 ft 1 ¹⁄₂ in) (1993, 1994), 6.13 m (20 ft 1 ¹⁄₄ in) (1992), 6.12 m (20 ft ³⁄₄ in) (1991), 6.11 m (20 ft ¹⁄₂ in) (1991), 6.10 m (20 ft 0 in) (1991), 6.08 m (19 ft 11 ¹⁄₄ in) (1991), 6.06 m (19 ft 10 ¹⁄₂ in) (1988, 1993), 6.05 m (19 ft 10 in) (1990, 1993, 1994, 1997), 6.03 m (19 ft 9 ¹⁄₄ in) (1987, 1989), 6.02 m (19 ft 9 in) (1996), 6.01 m (19 ft 8 ¹⁄₂ in) (1986, 1993), and 6.00 m (19 ft 8 in) (1985, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1994, 1995).


• 
  Renaud Lavillenie also vaulted 6.08 m (19 ft 11 ¹⁄₄ in) (2014), 6.05 m (19 ft 10 in) (2015), 6.04 m (19 ft 9 ³⁄₄ in) (2014, 2015), 6.03 m (19 ft 9 ¹⁄₄ in) (2011, 2016), 6.02 m (19 ft 9 in) (2015, 2016), 6.01 m (19 ft 8 ¹⁄₂ in) (2009, 2013, 2015) and 6.00 m (19 ft 8 in) (2015).


• 
  Steve Hooker also vaulted 6.01 m (19 ft 8 ¹⁄₂ in) (2010) and 6.00 m (19 ft 8 in) (2008).


• 
  Radion Gataullin also vaulted 6.00 m (19 ft 8 in) (1989, 1993).


• 
  Maksim Tarasov also vaulted 6.00 m (19 ft 8 in) (1999).


• 
  Armand Duplantis also vaulted 6.00 m (19 ft 8 in) (2018).

Women (comprehensive)

• Correct as of July 2018^[20][21]
  

Rank	Mark	Athlete	Date	Place	Ref
1	5.06 m (16 ft 7 in)	Yelena Isinbayeva (RUS)	28 August 2009	Zürich
2	5.03 m (16 ft 6 in)	Jennifer Suhr (USA)	30 January 2016	Brockport (indoor)	[22]
3	5.00 m (16 ft 4 3⁄4 in)	Sandi Morris (USA)	9 September 2016	Brussels	[23]
4	4.94 m (16 ft 2 1⁄4 in)	Eliza McCartney (NZL)	17 July 2018	Jockgrim	[24]
5	4.91 m (16 ft 1 1⁄4 in)	Yarisley Silva (CUB)	2 August 2015	Beckum
		Katerina Stefanidi (GRE)	6 August 2017	London	[25]
	4.91 m (16 ft 1 1⁄4 in) A	Katie Nageotte (USA)	18 February 2018	Albuquerque (indoor)	[26]
8	4.90 m (16 ft 3⁄4 in)	Demi Payne (USA)	20 February 2016	New York City (indoor)	[27]
		Anzhelika Sidorova (RUS)	3 March 2018	Birmingham (indoor)	[28]
10	4.88 m (16 ft 0 in)	Svetlana Feofanova (RUS)	4 July 2004	Heraklion
11	4.87 m (15 ft 11 1⁄2 in)	Holly Bleasdale (GBR)	21 January 2012	Villeurbanne (indoor)
		Fabiana Murer (BRA)	3 July 2016	São Bernardo do Campo	[29]
13	4.85 m (15 ft 10 3⁄4 in)	Anna Rogowska (POL)	6 March 2011	Paris (indoor)
14	4.83 m (15 ft 10 in)	Stacy Dragila (USA)	8 June 2004	Ostrava
		Nikoleta Kyriakopoulou (GRE)	4 July 2015	Saint-Denis	[30]
16	4.82 m (15 ft 9 3⁄4 in)	Monika Pyrek (POL)	22 September 2007	Stuttgart
		Silke Spiegelburg (GER)	21 July 2012	Fontvieille
18	4.81 m (15 ft 9 1⁄4 in)	Alana Boyd (AUS)	2 July 2016	Sunshine Coast	[31]
19	4.80 m (15 ft 8 3⁄4 in)	Martina Strutz (GER)	30 August 2011	Daegu
		Nicole Büchler (SUI)	17 March 2016	Portland (indoor)	[32]
21	4.78 m (15 ft 8 in)	Tatyana Polnova (RUS)	19 September 2004	Monaco
22	4.77 m (15 ft 7 3⁄4 in)	Annika Becker (GER)	7 July 2002	Wattenscheid
23	4.76 m (15 ft 7 1⁄4 in)	Jirina Ptacnikova (CZE)	4 September 2013	Plzen
24	4.75 m (15 ft 7 in)	Katerina Badurova (CZE)	28 August 2007	Osaka
		Yuliya Golubchikova (RUS)	18 August 2008	Beijing
	4.75 m (15 ft 7 in) A	Kylie Hutson (USA)	2 March 2013	Albuquerque (indoor)
	4.75 m (15 ft 7 in)	Lisa Ryzih (GER)	4 March 2017	Belgrade (indoor)	[33]
		Alysha Newman (CAN)	27 August 2017	Beckum	[34]
		Ninon Guillon-Romarin (FRA)	20 July 2018	Monaco	[35]

Notes

Below is a list of vaults equal or superior to 4.85m:

• 
  Yelena Isinbayeva also vaulted 5.05 m (16 ft 6 ³⁄₄ in) (2008), 5.01 m (16 ft 5 in) (2005, 2012), 5.00 m (16 ft 4 ³⁄₄ in) (2009), 4.95 m (16 ft 2 ³⁄₄ in) (2008), 4.93 m (16 ft 2 in) (2007), 4.92 m (16 ft 1 ¹⁄₂ in) (2004), 4.91 m (16 ft 1 ¹⁄₄ in) (2006, 2007), 4.90 m (16 ft ³⁄₄ in) (2005, 2016), 4.89 m (16 ft ¹⁄₂ in) (2013), 4.86 m (15 ft 11 ¹⁄₄ in) (2004), 4.85 m (15 ft 10 ³⁄₄ in) (2010, 2011).


• 
  Jennifer Suhr also vaulted 5.02 m (16 ft 5 ¹⁄₂ in) (2013), 5.01 m (16 ft 5 in) (2016), 4.93 m (16 ft 2 in) (2018), 4.92 m (16 ft 1 ¹⁄₂ in) (2008), 4.91 m (16 ft 1 ¹⁄₄ in) (2011, 2013), 4.89 m (16 ft ¹⁄₂ in) (2010), 4.88 m (16 ft 0 in) (2007, 2012), 4.87 m (15 ft 11 ¹⁄₂ in) (2018), 4.86 m (15 ft 11 ¹⁄₄ in) (2011), 4.85 m (15 ft 10 ³⁄₄ in) (2018).


• 
  Sandi Morris also vaulted 4.95 m (16 ft 2 ³⁄₄ in) (2016, 2018i), 4.93 m (16 ft 2 in) (2016), 4.90 m (16 ft ³⁄₄ in)i (A) (2018), 4.88 m (16 ft 0 in) (2018), 4.87 m (15 ft 11 ¹⁄₂ in) (2017), 4.86 m (15 ft 11 ¹⁄₄ in)i (2018), 4.85 m (15 ft 10 ³⁄₄ in) (2016, 2018).


• 
  Eliza McCartney also vaulted 4.92 m (16 ft 1 ¹⁄₂ in) (2018), 4.87 m (15 ft 11 ¹⁄₂ in) (2018), 4.86 m (15 ft 11 ¹⁄₄ in) (2018), 4.85 m (15 ft 10 ³⁄₄ in) (2018).


• 
  Katerina Stefanidi also vaulted 4.90 m (16 ft ³⁄₄ in) (2016), 4.87 m (15 ft 11 ¹⁄₂ in) (2017, 2018), 4.86 m (15 ft 11 ¹⁄₄ in) (2016), 4.85 m (15 ft 10 ³⁄₄ in) (2016, 2017, 2018).


• 
  Anzhelika Sidorova also vaulted 4.87 m (15 ft 11 ¹⁄₂ in)i (2018), 4.86 m (15 ft 11 ¹⁄₄ in)i (2018), 4.85 m (15 ft 10 ³⁄₄ in) (2016, 2018).


• 
  Katie Nageotte also vaulted 4.86 m (15 ft 11 ¹⁄₄ in)i (2018).


• 
  Fabiana Murer also vaulted 4.85 m (15 ft 10 ³⁄₄ in) (2010).

Six metres club

The "six metres club" consists of pole vaulters who have reached at least 6.00.^[36] In 1985 Sergey Bubka became the first pole vaulter to clear six metres.

Measure	Athlete	Nation	Outdoors	Indoors	Year first cleared 6 metres
6.16	Renaud Lavillenie	France	6.05	6.16	2009
6.15	Sergey Bubka	Soviet Union /  Ukraine	6.14	6.15	1985
6.06	Steve Hooker	Australia	6.00	6.06	2008
6.05	Maksim Tarasov	Russia	6.05	6.00	1997
	Dmitri Markov	Belarus /  Australia	6.05	5.85	1998
	Armand Duplantis	Sweden	6.05	5.88	2018
6.04	Brad Walker	United States	6.04	5.86	2006
6.03	Okkert Brits	South Africa	6.03	5.90	1995
	Jeff Hartwig	United States	6.03	6.02	1998
	Thiago Braz da Silva	Brazil	6.03	5.93	2016
6.02	Rodion Gataullin	Soviet Union /  Russia	6.00	6.02	1989
6.01	Igor Trandenkov	Russia	6.01	5.90	1996
	Timothy Mack	United States	6.01	5.85	2004
	Yevgeniy Lukyanenko	Russia	6.01	5.90	2008
	Björn Otto	Germany	6.01	5.92	2012
6.00	Tim Lobinger	Germany	6.00	5.95	1997
	Jean Galfione	France	5.98	6.00	1999
	Danny Ecker	Germany	5.93	6.00	2001
	Toby Stevenson	United States	6.00	5.81	2004
	Paul Burgess	Australia	6.00	5.80	2005
	Shawnacy Barber	Canada	5.93	6.00	2016
	Piotr Lisek	Poland	5.94	6.00	2017
	Sam Kendricks	United States	6.00	5.93	2017
	Timur Morgunov	Russia	6.00	5.91	2018

Five metres club

Three women have cleared 5 metres. Yelena Isinbayeva was the first to clear 5.00 m (16 ft 4 ³⁄₄ in) on July 22, 2005. On March 2, 2013, Jenn Suhr cleared 5.02 m (16 ft 5 ¹⁄₂ in) indoors to become the second. Sandi Morris cleared 5.00 meters on September 9, 2016, to become the third.

Measure	Athlete	Nation	Outdoors	Indoors	Year first cleared 5 metres
5.06	Yelena Isinbayeva	Russia	5.06	5.01	2005
5.03	Jennifer Suhr	United States	4.93	5.03	2013
5.00	Sandi Morris	United States	5.00	4.95	2016

Milestones

This is a list of the first time a milestone height was cleared.^[37]

Measure	Athlete	Nation	Date
13 ft (3.96 m)	Robert Gardner	United States	1 June 1912
4 m (13 ft 1 1⁄2 in)	Marc Wright	United States	8 June 1912
14 ft (4.27 m)	Sabin Carr	United States	27 May 1927
4.5 m (14 ft 9 in)	William Sefton [38]	United States	29 May 1937
15 ft (4.57 m)	Cornelius "Dutch" Warmerdam	United States	13 April 1940
16 ft (4.88 m)	John Uelses	United States	31 March 1962
5 m (16 ft 5 in)	Brian Sternberg	United States	27 April 1963
17 ft (5.18 m)	John Pennel	United States	24 August 1963
18 ft (5.49 m)	Christos Papanikolaou	Greece	24 October 1970
5.5 m (18 ft 1⁄2 in)	Kjell Isaksson	Sweden	8 April 1972
19 ft (5.79 m)	Thierry Vigneron	France	20 June 1981
6 m (19 ft 8 in)	Sergey Bubka	Soviet Union	13 July 1985
20 ft (6.10 m)	Sergey Bubka	Soviet Union	16 March 1991 (indoors) 5 August 1991 (outdoors)

Olympic medalists

Men

Games	Gold	Silver	Bronze
1896 Athens details	William Hoyt  United States	Albert Tyler  United States	Evangelos Damaskos  Greece
			Ioannis Theodoropoulos  Greece
1900 Paris details	Irving Baxter  United States	Meredith Colket  United States	Carl Albert Andersen  Norway
1904 St. Louis details	Charles Dvorak  United States	LeRoy Samse  United States	Louis Wilkins  United States
1908 London details	Edward Cook  United States	none awarded	Edward Archibald  Canada
			Clare Jacobs  United States
	Alfred Gilbert  United States
			Bruno Söderström  Sweden
1912 Stockholm details	Harry Babcock  United States	Frank Nelson  United States	William Halpenny  Canada
			Frank Murphy  United States
		Marc Wright  United States
			Bertil Uggla  Sweden
1920 Antwerp details	Frank Foss  United States	Henry Petersen  Denmark	Edwin Myers  United States
1924 Paris details	Lee Barnes  United States	Glen Graham  United States	James Brooker  United States
1928 Amsterdam details	Sabin Carr  United States	William Droegemueller  United States	Charles McGinnis  United States
1932 Los Angeles details	Bill Miller  United States	Shuhei Nishida  Japan	George Jefferson  United States
1936 Berlin details	Earle Meadows  United States	Shuhei Nishida  Japan	Sueo Ōe  Japan
1948 London details	Guinn Smith  United States	Erkki Kataja  Finland	Bob Richards  United States
1952 Helsinki details	Bob Richards  United States	Don Laz  United States	Ragnar Lundberg  Sweden
1956 Melbourne details	Bob Richards  United States	Bob Gutowski  United States	Georgios Roubanis  Greece
1960 Rome details	Don Bragg  United States	Ron Morris  United States	Eeles Landström  Finland
1964 Tokyo details	Fred Hansen  United States	Wolfgang Reinhardt  United Team of Germany	Klaus Lehnertz  United Team of Germany
1968 Mexico City details	Bob Seagren  United States	Claus Schiprowski  West Germany	Wolfgang Nordwig  East Germany
1972 Munich details	Wolfgang Nordwig  East Germany	Bob Seagren  United States	Jan Johnson  United States
1976 Montreal details	Tadeusz Ślusarski  Poland	Antti Kalliomäki  Finland	David Roberts  United States
1980 Moscow details	Władysław Kozakiewicz  Poland	Tadeusz Ślusarski  Poland	none awarded
		Konstantin Volkov  Soviet Union
1984 Los Angeles details	Pierre Quinon  France	Mike Tully  United States	Earl Bell  United States
			Thierry Vigneron  France
1988 Seoul details	Sergey Bubka  Soviet Union	Radion Gataullin  Soviet Union	Grigoriy Yegorov  Soviet Union
1992 Barcelona details	Maksim Tarasov  Unified Team	Igor Trandenkov  Unified Team	Javier García  Spain
1996 Atlanta details	Jean Galfione  France	Igor Trandenkov  Russia	Andrei Tivontchik  Germany
2000 Sydney details	Nick Hysong  United States	Lawrence Johnson  United States	Maksim Tarasov  Russia
2004 Athens details	Timothy Mack  United States	Toby Stevenson  United States	Giuseppe Gibilisco  Italy
2008 Beijing details	Steve Hooker  Australia	Yevgeny Lukyanenko  Russia	Denys Yurchenko  Ukraine
2012 London details	Renaud Lavillenie  France	Björn Otto  Germany	Raphael Holzdeppe  Germany
2016 Rio de Janeiro details	Thiago Braz da Silva  Brazil	Renaud Lavillenie  France	Sam Kendricks  United States

Women

Games	Gold	Silver	Bronze
2000 Sydney details	Stacy Dragila  United States	Tatiana Grigorieva  Australia	Vala Flosadóttir  Iceland
2004 Athens details	Yelena Isinbayeva  Russia	Svetlana Feofanova  Russia	Anna Rogowska  Poland
2008 Beijing details	Yelena Isinbayeva  Russia	Jennifer Stuczynski  United States	Svetlana Feofanova  Russia
2012 London details	Jennifer Suhr  United States	Yarisley Silva  Cuba	Yelena Isinbayeva  Russia
2016 Rio de Janeiro details	Katerina Stefanidi  Greece	Sandi Morris  United States	Eliza McCartney  New Zealand

World Championships medalists

Men

Championships	Gold	Silver	Bronze
1983 Helsinki details	Sergey Bubka (URS)	Konstantin Volkov (URS)	Atanas Tarev (BUL)
1987 Rome details	Sergey Bubka (URS)	Thierry Vigneron (FRA)	Radion Gataullin (URS)
1991 Tokyo details	Sergey Bubka (URS)	István Bagyula (HUN)	Maksim Tarasov (URS)
1993 Stuttgart details	Sergey Bubka (UKR)	Grigoriy Yegorov (KAZ)	Maksim Tarasov (RUS)  Igor Trandenkov (RUS)
1995 Gothenburg details	Sergey Bubka (UKR)	Maksim Tarasov (RUS)	Jean Galfione (FRA)
1997 Athens details	Sergey Bubka (UKR)	Maksim Tarasov (RUS)	Dean Starkey (USA)
1999 Seville details	Maksim Tarasov (RUS)	Dmitri Markov (AUS)	Aleksandr Averbukh (ISR)
2001 Edmonton details	Dmitri Markov (AUS)	Aleksandr Averbukh (ISR)	Nick Hysong (USA)
2003 Saint-Denis details	Giuseppe Gibilisco (ITA)	Okkert Brits (RSA)	Patrik Kristiansson (SWE)
2005 Helsinki details	Rens Blom (NED)	Brad Walker (USA)	Pavel Gerasimov (RUS)
2007 Osaka details	Brad Walker (USA)	Romain Mesnil (FRA)	Danny Ecker (GER)
2009 Berlin details	Steve Hooker (AUS)	Romain Mesnil (FRA)	Renaud Lavillenie (FRA)
2011 Daegu details	Paweł Wojciechowski (POL)	Lázaro Borges (CUB)	Renaud Lavillenie (FRA)
2013 Moscow details	Raphael Holzdeppe (GER)	Renaud Lavillenie (FRA)	Björn Otto (GER)
2015 Beijing details	Shawnacy Barber (CAN)	Raphael Holzdeppe (GER)	Renaud Lavillenie (FRA)  Pawel Wojciechowski (POL)  Piotr Lisek (POL)
2017 London details	Sam Kendricks (USA)	Piotr Lisek (POL)	Renaud Lavillenie (FRA)

Women

Championships	Gold	Silver	Bronze
1999 Seville details	Stacy Dragila (USA)	Anzhela Balakhonova (UKR)	Tatiana Grigorieva (AUS)
2001 Edmonton details	Stacy Dragila (USA)	Svetlana Feofanova (RUS)	Monika Pyrek (POL)
2003 Saint-Denis details	Svetlana Feofanova (RUS)	Annika Becker (GER)	Yelena Isinbayeva (RUS)
2005 Helsinki details	Yelena Isinbayeva (RUS)	Monika Pyrek (POL)	Pavla Hamáčková (CZE)
2007 Osaka details	Yelena Isinbayeva (RUS)	Kateřina Baďurová (CZE)	Svetlana Feofanova (RUS)
2009 Berlin details	Anna Rogowska (POL)	Chelsea Johnson (USA)  Monika Pyrek (POL)	none awarded
2011 Daegu details	Fabiana Murer (BRA)	Martina Strutz (GER)	Svetlana Feofanova (RUS)
2013 Moscow details	Yelena Isinbayeva (RUS)	Jenn Suhr (USA)	Yarisley Silva (CUB)
2015 Beijing details	Yarisley Silva (CUB)	Fabiana Murer (BRA)	Nikoleta Kyriakopoulou (GRE)
2017 London details	Ekaterini Stefanidi (GRE)	Sandi Morris (USA)	Robeilys Peinado (VEN)  Yarisley Silva (CUB)

World Indoor Championships medalists

Men

Games	Gold	Silver	Bronze
1985 Paris[A]	Sergey Bubka (URS)	Thierry Vigneron (FRA)	Vasiliy Bubka (URS)
1987 Indianapolis details	Sergey Bubka (URS)	Earl Bell (USA)	Thierry Vigneron (FRA)
1989 Budapest details	Radion Gataullin (URS)	Grigoriy Yegorov (URS)	Joe Dial (USA)
1991 Seville details	Sergey Bubka (URS)	Viktor Ryzhenkov (URS)	Ferenc Salbert (FRA)
1993 Toronto details	Radion Gataullin (RUS)	Grigoriy Yegorov (KAZ)	Jean Galfione (FRA)
1995 Barcelona details	Sergey Bubka (UKR)	Igor Potapovich (KAZ)	Okkert Brits (RSA)  Andrei Tivontchik (GER)
1997 Paris details	Igor Potapovich (KAZ)	Lawrence Johnson (USA)	Maksim Tarasov (RUS)
1999 Maebashi details	Jean Galfione (FRA)	Jeff Hartwig (USA)	Danny Ecker (GER)
2001 Lisbon details	Lawrence Johnson (USA)	Tye Harvey (USA)	Romain Mesnil (FRA)
2003 Birmingham details	Tim Lobinger (GER)	Michael Stolle (GER)	Rens Blom (NED)
2004 Budapest details	Igor Pavlov (RUS)	Adam Ptáček (CZE)	Denys Yurchenko (UKR)
2006 Moscow details	Brad Walker (USA)	Alhaji Jeng (SWE)	Tim Lobinger (GER)
2008 Valencia details	Yevgeny Lukyanenko (RUS)	Brad Walker (USA)	Steve Hooker (AUS)
2010 Doha details	Steve Hooker (AUS)	Malte Mohr (GER)	Alexander Straub (USA)
2012 Istanbul details	Renaud Lavillenie (FRA)	Björn Otto (GER)	Brad Walker (USA)
2014 Sopot details	Konstadinos Filippidis (GRE)	Malte Mohr (GER)	Jan Kudlička (CZE)
2016 Portland details	Renaud Lavillenie (FRA)	Sam Kendricks (USA)	Piotr Lisek (POL)
2018 Birmingham details	Renaud Lavillenie (FRA)	Sam Kendricks (USA)	Piotr Lisek (POL)

• 
  ^A Known as the World Indoor Games
  

Women

Games	Gold	Silver	Bronze
1997 Paris details	Stacy Dragila (USA)	Emma George (AUS)	Cai Weiyan (CHN)
1999 Maebashi details	Nastja Ryshich (GER)	Vala Flosadóttir (ISL)	Nicole Humbert (GER)  Zsuzsanna Szabó-Olgyai (HUN)
2001 Lisbon details	Pavla Hamáčková (CZE)	Svetlana Feofanova (RUS)  Kellie Suttle (USA)	none awarded
2003 Birmingham details	Svetlana Feofanova (RUS)	Yelena Isinbayeva (RUS)	Monika Pyrek (POL)
2004 Budapest details	Yelena Isinbayeva (RUS)	Stacy Dragila (USA)	Svetlana Feofanova (RUS)
2006 Moscow details	Yelena Isinbayeva (RUS)	Anna Rogowska (POL)	Svetlana Feofanova (RUS)
2008 Valencia details	Yelena Isinbayeva (RUS)	Jennifer Stuczynski (USA)	Fabiana Murer (BRA)  Monika Pyrek (POL)
2010 Doha details	Fabiana Murer (BRA)	Svetlana Feofanova (RUS)	Anna Rogowska (POL)
2012 Istanbul details	Yelena Isinbayeva (RUS)	Vanessa Boslak (FRA)	Holly Bleasdale (GBR)
2014 Sopot details	Yarisley Silva (CUB)	Anzhelika Sidorova (RUS)  Jiřina Svobodová (CZE)	none awarded
2016 Portland details	Jennifer Suhr (USA)	Sandi Morris (USA)	Katerina Stefanidi (GRE)
2018 Birmingham details	Sandi Morris (USA)	Anzhelika Sidorova (ANA)	Katerina Stefanidi (GRE)

Season's bests

Men Year Height Athlete Location 1970 5.49 m (18 ft 0 in)  Christos Papanikolaou (GRE) Athens 1971 5.43 m (17 ft 9 3⁄4 in)  Kjell Isaksson (SWE) Siena 1972 5.63 m (18 ft 5 1⁄2 in)  Bob Seagren (USA) Eugene 1973 5.49 m (18 ft 0 in)  Steve Smith (USA) New York City 1974 5.53 m (18 ft 1 1⁄2 in)  Steve Smith (USA) Pocatello 1975 5.65 m (18 ft 6 1⁄4 in)  David Roberts (USA) Gainesville 1976 5.70 m (18 ft 8 1⁄4 in)  David Roberts (USA) Eugene 1977 5.66 m (18 ft 6 3⁄4 in)  Wladyslaw Kozakiewicz (POL) Warsaw 1978 5.71 m (18 ft 8 3⁄4 in)  Mike Tully (USA) Corvallis 1979 5.65 m (18 ft 6 1⁄4 in)  Patrick Abada (FRA)  Philippe Houvion (FRA) Paris 1980 5.78 m (18 ft 11 1⁄2 in)  Wladyslaw Kozakiewicz (POL) Moscow 1981 5.81 m (19 ft 1⁄2 in)  Vladimir Polyakov (URS) Tbilisi 1982 5.75 m (18 ft 10 1⁄4 in)  Dave Volz (USA)  Jean-Michel Bellot (FRA) Nice Colombes 1983 5.83 m (19 ft 1 1⁄2 in)  Thierry Vigneron (FRA) Rome 1984 5.94 m (19 ft 5 3⁄4 in)  Sergey Bubka (URS) Rome 1985 6.00 m (19 ft 8 in)  Sergey Bubka (URS) Paris 1986 6.01 m (19 ft 8 1⁄2 in)  Sergey Bubka (URS) Moscow 1987 6.03 m (19 ft 9 1⁄4 in)  Sergey Bubka (URS) Prague 1988 6.06 m (19 ft 10 1⁄2 in)  Sergey Bubka (URS) Nice 1989 6.03 m (19 ft 9 1⁄4 in)i  Sergey Bubka (URS) Osaka 1990 6.05 m (19 ft 10 in)i  Sergey Bubka (URS) Donetsk 1991 6.12 m (20 ft 3⁄4 in)i  Sergey Bubka (URS) Grenoble 1992 6.13 m (20 ft 1 1⁄4 in)  Sergey Bubka (UKR) Tokyo; Berlin 1993 6.15 m (20 ft 2 in)i  Sergey Bubka (UKR) Donetsk 1994 6.14 m (20 ft 1 1⁄2 in)  Sergey Bubka (UKR) Sestriere 1995 6.03 m (19 ft 9 1⁄4 in)  Okkert Brits (RSA) Cologne 1996 6.02 m (19 ft 9 in)  Sergey Bubka (UKR) Atlanta 1997 6.05 m (19 ft 10 in)  Sergey Bubka (UKR) Fukuoka 1998 6.01 m (19 ft 8 1⁄2 in)  Jeff Hartwig (USA) Uniondale 1999 6.05 m (19 ft 10 in)  Maxim Tarasov (RUS) Athens 2000 6.03 m (19 ft 9 1⁄4 in)  Jeff Hartwig (USA) Jonesboro 2001 6.05 m (19 ft 10 in)  Dmitriy Markov (AUS) Edmonton 2002 6.02 m (19 ft 9 in)i  Jeff Hartwig (USA) Sindelfingen 2003 5.95 m (19 ft 6 1⁄4 in)  Romain Mesnil (FRA) Castres 2004 6.01 m (19 ft 8 1⁄2 in)  Timothy Mack (USA) Monaco 2005 6.00 m (19 ft 8 in)  Paul Burgess (AUS) Perth 2006 6.00 m (19 ft 8 in)  Brad Walker (USA) Jockgrim 2007 5.95 m (19 ft 6 1⁄4 in)  Brad Walker (USA) Brisbane 2008 6.04 m (19 ft 9 3⁄4 in)  Brad Walker (USA) Eugene 2009 6.06 m (19 ft 10 1⁄2 in)  Steve Hooker (AUS) Boston 2010 6.01 m (19 ft 8 1⁄2 in)i  Steve Hooker (AUS) Doha 2011 6.03 m (19 ft 9 1⁄4 in)i  Renaud Lavillenie (FRA) Paris 2012 6.01 m (19 ft 8 1⁄2 in)  Björn Otto (GER) Aachen 2013 6.02 m (19 ft 9 in)  Renaud Lavillenie (FRA) London 2014 6.16 m (20 ft 2 1⁄2 in)i  Renaud Lavillenie (FRA) Donetsk 2015 6.05 m (19 ft 10 in)  Renaud Lavillenie (FRA) Eugene 2016 6.03 m (19 ft 9 1⁄4 in)  Thiago Braz (BRA) Rio de Janeiro 6.03 m (19 ft 9 1⁄4 in)i  Renaud Lavillenie (FRA) Jablonec 2017 6.00 m (19 ft 8 in)i  Piotr Lisek (POL) Potsdam 6.00 m (19 ft 8 in)  Sam Kendricks (USA) Sacramento

Women Year Height Athlete Location 1991 4.05 m (13 ft 3 1⁄4 in)  Zhang Chunzhen (CHN) Guangzhou 1992 4.05 m (13 ft 3 1⁄4 in)  Sun Caiyun (CHN) Nanjing 1993 4.11 m (13 ft 5 3⁄4 in)  Sun Caiyun (CHN) Guangzhou 1994 4.12 m (13 ft 6 in)  Sun Caiyun (CHN) Guangzhou 1995 4.28 m (14 ft 1⁄2 in)  Emma George (AUS) Perth 1996 4.45 m (14 ft 7 in)  Emma George (AUS) Sapporo 1997 4.55 m (14 ft 11 in)  Emma George (AUS) Melbourne 1998 4.59 m (15 ft 1⁄2 in)  Emma George (AUS) Brisbane 1999 4.60 m (15 ft 1 in)  Emma George (AUS)  Stacy Dragila (USA) Sydney Seville 2000 4.63 m (15 ft 2 1⁄4 in)  Stacy Dragila (USA) Sacramento 2001 4.81 m (15 ft 9 1⁄4 in)  Stacy Dragila (USA) Palo Alto 2002 4.78 m (15 ft 8 in)  Svetlana Feofanova (RUS) Stockholm 2003 4.82 m (15 ft 9 3⁄4 in)  Elena Isinbaeva (RUS) Gateshead 2004 4.92 m (16 ft 1 1⁄2 in)  Elena Isinbaeva (RUS) Brussels 2005 5.01 m (16 ft 5 in)  Elena Isinbaeva (RUS) Helsinki 2006 4.91 m (16 ft 1 1⁄4 in)  Elena Isinbaeva (RUS) London; Donetsk 2007 4.93 m (16 ft 2 in)i  Elena Isinbaeva (RUS) Donetsk 2008 5.05 m (16 ft 6 3⁄4 in)  Elena Isinbaeva (RUS) Beijing 2009 5.06 m (16 ft 7 in)  Elena Isinbaeva (RUS) Zürich 2010 4.89 m (16 ft 1⁄2 in)  Jennifer Suhr (USA) Des Moines 2011 4.91 m (16 ft 1 1⁄4 in)  Jennifer Suhr (USA) Rochester 2012 5.01 m (16 ft 5 in)i  Elena Isinbaeva (RUS) Stockholm 2013 5.02 m (16 ft 5 1⁄2 in)Ai  Jennifer Suhr (USA) Albuquerque 2014 4.80 m (15 ft 8 3⁄4 in)  Fabiana Murer (BRA) New York City 2015 4.91 m (16 ft 1 1⁄4 in)  Yarisley Silva (CUB) Beckum 2016 5.03 m (16 ft 6 in)i  Jenn Suhr (USA) Brockport 2017 4.91 m (16 ft 1 1⁄4 in)  Katerina Stefanidi (GRE) London 2018 4.95 m (16 ft 2 3⁄4 in)  Sandi Morris (USA) Greenville

• "i" denotes indoor performance.


• "A" denotes performance at higher than 1,000 metres (3,300 ft) altitude.

Notes and references

1. 
   ^ Rosenbaum, Mike. Yelena Isinbayeva: Pole Vault Record-Breaker. About Track and Field. Retrieved on 25 January 2014.
   


2. 
   ^ Rudman, Steve (31 May 2013). Huskies vault legend Brian Sternberg (1943-13). Sports Press NW. Retrieved on 2014-01-25.
   


3. 
   ^ "Info". Polsstokverspringen/ Fierljeppen Holland. 5 September 2012. Archived from the original on 2 October 2012. Retrieved 7 September 2012..mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output q{quotes:"""""""'""'"}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration{color:#555}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration span{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-right{padding-right:0.2em}
   


4. 
   ^ http://www.pureskyvaulting.com/Some%20Cool%20Stuff/First25Pages.pdf
   


5. 
   ^ Turnbull, Simon (13 June 2009). Kate Dennison: 'It helps being a little bit crazy'. The Independent. Retrieved on 2009-06-15.
   


6. 
   ^ https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1356&dat=19620207&id=CWxPAAAAIBAJ&sjid=MwUEAAAAIBAJ&pg=4887,840268
   


7. 
   ^ "12th IAAF World Championships In Athletics: IAAF Statistics Handbook. Berlin 2009" (PDF). Monte Carlo: IAAF Media & Public Relations Department. 2009. p. 546. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 29, 2011. Retrieved August 17, 2009.
   


8. 
   ^ McCormick, Matthew. "Soaring to New Heights: The Evolution of Pole Vaulting and Pole Materials". Illumin. Retrieved on 25 January 2014.
   


9. 
   ^ McGinnis, Peter (December 2015). "Mechanics of the pole vault" (PDF). usatf.org.
   


10. 
    ^ "How to Do the Pole Vault in Track and Field". ThoughtCo. Retrieved 2018-05-02.
    


11. 
    ^ Pole Vault - men - senior - outdoor. IAAF. Retrieved on 25 January 2014.
    


12. 
    ^ Pole Vault - men - senior - indoor. IAAF. Retrieved on 25 January 2014.
    


13. 
    ^ "Sergey Bubka's pole vault record broken by Renaud Lavillenie". BBC Sport. 2014-02-16. Retrieved 2018-05-02.
    


14. 
    ^ "Men's Pole Vault Results" (PDF). European Athletics. 12 August 2018. Retrieved 12 August 2018.
    


15. 
    ^ "Men's Pole Vault Results" (PDF). Rio 2016 official website. 15 August 2016. Retrieved 17 August 2016.
    


16. 
    ^ "Pole Vault Results". Deutscher Leichtathletik-Verband. 4 February 2017. Retrieved 4 February 2017.
    


17. 
    ^ "Sam Kendricks Talks About Joining 6 Meter Club in Pole Vault, Being Most Efficient Vaulter in the World". letsrun.com. 24 June 2017. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
    


18. 
    ^ "Men's Pole Vault Results" (PDF). European Athletics. 12 August 2018. Retrieved 12 August 2018.
    


19. 
    ^ "Pole Vault Results" (PDF). polevaultsummit.files.wordpress.com. 15 January 2016. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
    


20. 
    ^ Pole Vault - women - senior - outdoor. IAAF. Retrieved on 25 January 2014.
    


21. 
    ^ Pole Vault - women - senior - indoor. IAAF. Retrieved on 25 January 2014.
    


22. 
    ^ "Jenn Suhr Sets Indoor Pole Vault World Record". flotrack.org. January 30, 2016. Retrieved January 31, 2016.
    


23. 
    ^ "Pole Vault Results" (PDF). sportresult.com. 9 September 2016. Retrieved 12 September 2016.
    


24. 
    ^ Jon Mulkeen (18 July 2018). "McCartney vaults world-leading 4.94m in Jockgrim". IAAF. Retrieved 26 July 2018.
    


25. 
    ^ "Pole Vault Results" (PDF). IAAF. 6 August 2017. Retrieved 6 August 2017.
    


26. 
    ^ USATF (18 February 2018). "Coleman breaks world indoor 60m record with 6.34 in Clemson". USATF. Retrieved 18 February 2018.
    


27. 
    ^ "Stefanidi and Payne clear 4.90m at Millrose Games - indoor round-up". IAAF. 21 February 2016. Retrieved 21 February 2016.
    


28. 
    ^ "Women's Pole Vault Results". IAAF. 3 March 2018. Retrieved 3 March 2018.
    


29. 
    ^ Eduardo Biscayart (3 July 2016). "Murer soars over South American record of 4.87m at Brazilian Championships". IAAF. Retrieved 3 July 2016.
    


30. 
    ^ "Pole Vault Results". IAAF. 4 July 2015. Retrieved 5 July 2015.
    


31. 
    ^ "Alana Boyd breaks Australian pole vault record to surge into Rio medal running". The Sydney Morning Herald. 29 January 2016. Retrieved 30 January 2016.
    


32. 
    ^ "Pole Vault Results" (PDF). IAAF. 17 March 2016. Retrieved 18 March 2016.
    


33. 
    ^ "Pole Vault Results" (PDF). European Athletics. 4 March 2017. Retrieved 4 March 2017.
    


34. 
    ^ "Alysha Newman jumps 4.75 metres, betters her own Canadian pole vault record". nationalpost.com. 27 August 2017. Retrieved 27 August 2017.
    


35. 
    ^ "Pole Vault Results" (PDF). sportresult.com. 20 July 2018. Retrieved 2 August 2018.
    


36. 
    ^ US unit calculator for unofficial mark conversions in athletic events, hosted by USATF.org
    


37. 
    ^ http://trackfield.brinkster.net/RecProgression.asp?RecCode=WR&EventCode=MF2&P=F
    


38. 
    ^ Note: Earle Meadows cleared the same height minutes later in the same competition
    

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Pole vault.

• IAAF list of pole-vault records in XML


• All-time Masters men's Pole Vault list


• All-time Masters women's Pole Vault list

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