Athletics at the 1988 Summer Olympics – Men's pole vault

Last updated
Official Video Highlights TV-icon-2.svg
Official Video Highlights
Men's pole vault
at the Games of the XXIV Olympiad
Olympic Park Stadium.jpg
Olympic Stadium (2012)
Venue Olympic Stadium
Dates23 September 1988 (qualifying)
25 September 1988 (final)
Competitors21 from 13 nations
Winning height5.90 OR
Medalists
Gold medal icon.svg Sergey Bubka
Flag of the Soviet Union.svg  Soviet Union
Silver medal icon.svg Rodion Gataullin
Flag of the Soviet Union.svg  Soviet Union
Bronze medal icon.svg Grigoriy Yegorov
Flag of the Soviet Union.svg  Soviet Union
  1984
1992  

The men's pole vault at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea had an entry list of 21 competitors from 13 nations, with two qualifying groups (21 jumpers) before the final (15) took place on Wednesday September 28, 1988. [1] The maximum number of athletes per nation had been set at 3 since the 1930 Olympic Congress.

Contents

Three Soviet, French and American athletes made the final, but it was the Soviet bloc that dominated the event, sweeping the medals, with Sergey Bubka already the dominant vaulter. His world record of 6.06 metres, set two months earlier, has only since been cleared by three other men, 2008 gold medalist Steven Hooker, 2012 gold medalist Renaud Lavillenie, and Armand DuPlantis in 2020.

But while Bubka would vault in three more Olympics and would continue to dominate the World Championships with six consecutive wins, this would be the only Olympic medal he would achieve. It was also the only victory the Soviet Union had in the men's pole vault, though the Unified Team would win in 1992.

Rodion Gataullin and Grigoriy Yegorov completed the medal sweep for the Soviet team; it was the fourth pole vault medal sweep (the United States had done it in 1904, 1924, and 1928). The 1988 Games were the first in which the United States competed in the pole vault, but failed to medal.

Background

This was the 21st appearance of the event, which is one of 12 athletics events to have been held at every Summer Olympics. The returning finalists from the 1984 Games were the two bronze medalists, Earl Bell of the United States and Thierry Vigneron of France. Sergey Bubka of the Soviet Union was dominant: he had won the 1983 and 1987 world championships, won the 1986 European championship, set the world record nine times between 1984 and 1988, and was the only man to have cleared 6 metres. [2]

South Korea made its men's pole vaulting debut. The United States made its 20th appearance, most of any nation, having missed only the boycotted 1980 Games.

Competition format

The competition used the two-round format introduced in 1912, with results cleared between rounds. Vaulters received three attempts at each height. Ties were broken by the countback rule.

In the qualifying round, the bar was set at 5.10 metres, 5.20 metres, 5.30 metres, 5.40 metres, 5.45 metres, 5.50 metres, and 5.55 metres. The first two heights were only used in the second qualifying group. All vaulters clearing 5.55 metres advanced to the final. If fewer than 12 cleared that height, the top 12 (including ties) advanced.

In the final, the bar was set at 5.10 metres, 5.25 metres, 5.40 metres, 5.50 metres, 5.60 metres, and then increased by 5 centimetres as a time. [2] [3]

Records

These were the standing world and Olympic records (in metres) prior to the 1988 Summer Olympics.

World recordFlag of the Soviet Union.svg  Sergey Bubka  (URS)6.06 Nice, France 10 July 1988
Olympic recordFlag of Poland.svg  Władysław Kozakiewicz  (POL)5.78 Moscow, Soviet Union 30 July 1980

When the bar was raised to 5.80 metres, giving vaulters a chance to break the Olympic record, only the three Soviets remained in the competition. Grigoriy Yegorov was the only one to jump at 5.80 metres, becoming the first to break the Olympic record. Rodion Gataullin jumped successfully at 5.85 metres, breaking Yegorov's new record while Yegorov passed. At 5.90 metres, Sergey Bubka broke Gataullin's record with a mark that stood at the end of the Games, as none of the three could clear further.

Schedule

All times are Korea Standard Time adjusted for daylight savings (UTC+10)

DateTimeRound
Monday, 26 September 1988Qualifying
Wednesday, 28 September 198812:00Final

Results

Key

Qualifying

The qualifying round was held on Monday September 26, 1988. After a dispute regarding disparate raising increments between the groups, all 15 of the vaulters who had cleared 5.40 metres were advanced to the final.

RankGroupAthleteNation5.105.205.305.405.455.505.55HeightNotes
1A Rodion Gataullin Flag of the Soviet Union.svg  Soviet Union o5.50q
A Sergey Bubka Flag of the Soviet Union.svg  Soviet Union o5.50q
3A Grigoriy Yegorov Flag of the Soviet Union.svg  Soviet Union o5.45q
4A Kory Tarpenning Flag of the United States.svg  United States ox–5.40q
A Earl Bell Flag of the United States.svg  United States ox–5.40q
A Mirosław Chmara Flag of Poland.svg  Poland o5.40q
B Marian Kolasa Flag of Poland.svg  Poland o5.40q
8B Asko Peltoniemi Flag of Finland.svg  Finland xxoo5.40q
9A Billy Olson Flag of the United States.svg  United States xo5.40q
A Philippe Collet Flag of France.svg  France xo5.40q
A Hermann Fehringer Flag of Austria.svg  Austria oxo5.40q
B Zdeněk Lubenský Flag of Czechoslovakia.svg  Czechoslovakia ooxo5.40q
B Philippe d'Encausse Flag of France.svg  France oxo5.40q
B István Bagyula Flag of Hungary.svg  Hungary oooxo5.40q
15B Thierry Vigneron Flag of France.svg  France ooxoxo5.40q
16B Kim Chul-Kyun Flag of South Korea (1984-1997).svg  South Korea xoxoxoxxxN/A5.30
17B Paul Just Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada xooxxoxxxN/A5.30
A Atanas Tarev Flag of Bulgaria (1971-1990).svg  Bulgaria xxxN/ANo mark
B Lee Jae-bok Flag of South Korea (1984-1997).svg  South Korea xxxN/ANo mark
B Javier García Flag of Spain.svg  Spain xxxN/ANo mark
B Andy Ashurst Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  Great Britain xxxN/ANo mark

Final

The final was held on Wednesday September 28, 1988.

RankAthleteNation5.105.255.405.505.605.655.705.755.805.855.905.956.10HeightNotes
Gold medal icon.svg Sergey Bubka Flag of the Soviet Union.svg  Soviet Union xoxxox5.90 OR
Silver medal icon.svg Rodion Gataullin Flag of the Soviet Union.svg  Soviet Union oxxoxxxN/A5.85
Bronze medal icon.svg Grigoriy Yegorov Flag of the Soviet Union.svg  Soviet Union oxooxxxN/A5.80
4 Earl Bell Flag of the United States.svg  United States oooxxxN/A5.70
5 Thierry Vigneron Flag of France.svg  France xoooxoxN/A5.70
Philippe Collet Flag of France.svg  France xoxoxxxN/A5.70
7 István Bagyula Flag of Hungary.svg  Hungary oooooxxxN/A5.60
8 Philippe d'Encausse Flag of France.svg  France ox–xoxxxN/A5.60
9 Asko Peltoniemi Flag of Finland.svg  Finland oxxoxxxN/A5.60
10 Kory Tarpenning Flag of the United States.svg  United States oxxxN/A5.50
11 Zdeněk Lubenský Flag of Czechoslovakia.svg  Czechoslovakia xooxxxN/A5.50
12 Billy Olson Flag of the United States.svg  United States xxoxxxN/A5.50
13 Hermann Fehringer Flag of Austria.svg  Austria ooxxxN/A5.40
Mirosław Chmara Flag of Poland.svg  Poland xxxN/ANo mark
Marian Kolasa Flag of Poland.svg  Poland xxxN/ANo mark

See also

Related Research Articles

Sergey Bubka Ukrainian pole vaulter

Sergey Nazarovych Bubka is a Soviet and Ukrainian former pole vaulter. He represented the Soviet Union until its dissolution in 1991. Bubka was twice named Athlete of the Year by Track & Field News, and in 2012 was one of 24 athletes inducted as inaugural members of the International Association of Athletics Federations Hall of Fame.

The men's pole vault competition at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens was held at the Olympic Stadium on 25–27 August. Thirty-nine athletes from 25 nations competed. The event was won by Timothy Mack of the United States, the nation's 18th victory in the men's pole vault. Toby Stevenson took silver, making it the second consecutive Games that Americans finished 1st and 2nd. Giuseppe Gibilisco's bronze was Italy's first medal in the event.

Jean Galfione French pole vaulter

Jean Galfione is a retired, French pole vaulter. During his pole vaulting career, he won at least one medal in each of the following major international competitions - the Olympic Games, the World Championships, the World Indoor Championships, the European Championships and the European Indoors Championships

Thierry Vigneron French pole vaulter

Thierry Vigneron is a retired French pole vaulter. In the 1980s, he was among the world's leading pole vaulters. He broke the world record in the event four times and was the last man to hold the world record before Sergey Bubka, who would hold on to it almost 30 years until February 2014.

Radion Aksanovich Gataullin is a retired pole vaulter who represented the Soviet Union and later Russia. He is the 1988 Olympic silver medallist, the 1987 World bronze medallist, a two-time European champion (1990/94) and a two-time World Indoor champion (1989/93). He is also a former world indoor record holder with clearances of 6.00m and 6.02m in 1989.

Steve Hooker Australian pole vaulter

Steven Leslie Hooker OAM is an Australian former pole vaulter and Olympic gold medalist. His personal best, achieved in 2008, is 6.06 m making him the fourth-highest pole vaulter in history, behind Sergey Bubka and Renaud Lavillenie and Armand Duplantis.

Athletics at the 1996 Summer Olympics – Mens pole vault Mens pole vault events at the Olympics

The men's pole vault was an event at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia. Thirty-seven athletes from 24 nations competed. The maximum number of athletes per nation had been set at 3 since the 1930 Olympic Congress. The event was won by Jean Galfione of France, the nation's second victory in the event. Igor Trandenkov took silver, the first medal for Russia in the pole vault. Similarly, Andrei Tivontchik's bronze was the first for Germany, though both East Germany and West Germany as well as the Unified Team of Germany had previously won medals.

Athletics at the 1952 Summer Olympics – Mens pole vault Mens pole vault events at the Olympics

The men's pole vault was an event at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki, Finland. Twenty-eight athletes from 18 nations competed. The maximum number of athletes per nation had been set at 3 since the 1930 Olympic Congress. The final was held on Tuesday July 22, 1952. The event was won by Bob Richards of the United States, the nation's 12th consecutive victory in the men's pole vault. Another American, Don Laz, took silver. Ragnar Lundberg's bronze was Sweden's first medal in the event since 1912.

Athletics at the 1992 Summer Olympics – Mens pole vault Mens pole vault events at the Olympics

The Men's Pole Vault was an event at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. There were a total number of 34 participating athletes from 23 nations. The maximum number of athletes per nation had been set at 3 since the 1930 Olympic Congress. The qualification mark was set at 5.60 metres.

Athletics at the 1984 Summer Olympics – Mens pole vault Mens pole vault events at the Olympics

The men's pole vault event at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California had an entry list of 19 competitors from 13 nations, with two qualifying groups before the final (12) took place on Wednesday August 8, 1984. The maximum number of athletes per nation had been set at 3 since the 1930 Olympic Congress. The event was won by Pierre Quinon of France, the nation's first medal in the men's pole vault. France also took one of the two bronze medals after Thierry Vigneron tied with Earl Bell of the United States for third. Mike Tully, also American, earned silver. Bell and Tully continued the American streak of podium appearances in the event every time the United States competed.

Athletics at the 2008 Summer Olympics – Mens pole vault Mens pole vault events at the Olympics

The men's pole vault at the 2008 Summer Olympics took place on 20 and 22 August at the Beijing National Stadium. Thirty-eight athletes from 25 nations competed. The event was won by Steven Hooker of Australia, the nation's first medal in the men's pole vault. Russia took its third medal of the four Games since competing independently; including Russian vaulters for the Soviet Union and Unified Team, Russians had taken six medals in the last six Games. The bronze medal initially went to Denys Yurchenko of Ukraine, but was later stripped from him and reassigned to Derek Miles of the United States.

Athletics at the 1980 Summer Olympics – Mens pole vault Mens pole vault events at the Olympics

The men's pole vault event at the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, Soviet Union had an entry list of 19 competitors from 10 nations. The maximum number of athletes per nation had been set at 3 since the 1930 Olympic Congress. The final was held on Wednesday July 30, 1980. The top twelve and ties and all those clearing 5.40 metres advanced to the final. The event was won by Władysław Kozakiewicz of Poland, the nation's second consecutive victory in the men's pole vault. His countryman Tadeusz Ślusarski, who had won the event four years earlier, became the fifth man to earn two medals in the event when he finished in a tie for silver. The other silver went to Konstantin Volkov and was the Soviet Union's first pole vault medal.

Renaud Lavillenie French pole vaulter

Renaud Lavillenie is a French pole vaulter. Lavillenie won the gold medal at the 2012 Olympics in London and the silver medal at the 2016 Olympics in Rio. In addition to his Olympic success, he has won three World Indoor Championships gold medals (record), three European Championships gold medals and four European Indoor Championships gold medals. He has also won one silver medal and four bronze medals at the World Championships. As of 25 August 2016, he holds the French national records for the highest pole vault clearance both outdoors and indoors. The 6.16 was the absolute world record for the pole vault for over 6 years, 2014–2020. He was the pole vault overall winner of the IAAF Diamond League in seven consecutive years, from 2010 to 2016.

Athletics at the 2000 Summer Olympics – Mens pole vault Mens pole vault events at the Olympics

The men's pole vault event at the 2000 Summer Olympics as part of the athletics program was held at the Olympic Stadium on Wednesday, 27 September and Friday, 29 September. Thirty-six athletes from 22 nations competed. The maximum number of athletes per nation had been set at 3 since the 1930 Olympic Congress. The event was won by Nick Hysong of the United States, the nation's first victory in the event since its 16-Games streak ended. The American team also took silver, as Lawrence Johnson finished second. Maksim Tarasov became the seventh man to win multiple pole vault medals, and the second to do so under two different flags, adding a bronze to his 1992 gold.

Athletics at the 1936 Summer Olympics – Mens pole vault Mens pole vault events at the Olympics

The men's pole vault event was part of the track and field athletics programme at the 1936 Summer Olympics. The competition was held on August 5, 1936. Thirty athletes from 21 nations competed. The maximum number of athletes per nation had been set at 3 since the 1930 Olympic Congress. The final was won by Earle Meadows of the United States. It was the nation's tenth consecutive victory in the men's pole vault.

Athletics at the 2012 Summer Olympics – Mens pole vault Mens pole vault events at the Olympics

The men's pole vault was a competition at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, United Kingdom. The event was held at the Olympic Stadium on 8–10 August. Thirty-two athletes from 23 nations competed. The event was won by Renaud Lavillenie of France, the nation's first victory in the event since 1996 and third overall. Björn Otto and Raphael Holzdeppe of Germany took silver and bronze, respectively; like France, it was the first time since 1996 that Germany reached the men's pole vault podium.

Athletics at the 1972 Summer Olympics – Mens pole vault Mens pole vault events at the Olympics

The men's pole vault field event at the 1972 Olympic Games took place on September 1 & 2. Twenty-one athletes from 12 nations competed. The maximum number of athletes per nation had been set at 3 since the 1930 Olympic Congress. The event was won by Wolfgang Nordwig of East Germany, the first non-American to win the event. Nordwig and silver medalist Bob Seagren were the third and fourth men to win multiple medals in the event.

Athletics at the 1976 Summer Olympics – Mens pole vault Mens pole vault events at the Olympics

The men's pole vault competition featured in the athletics programme at the 1976 Summer Olympics and was held at the Olympic Stadium in Montréal on 24 and 26 July. Twenty-seven athletes from 13 nations competed. The maximum number of athletes per nation had been set at 3 since the 1930 Olympic Congress.

Athletics at the 1968 Summer Olympics – Mens pole vault Mens pole vault events at the Olympics

The men's pole vault was one of four men's jumping events on the athletics program at the 1968 Summer Olympics. The competition had two rounds, qualifying and a final, which were held on 14 and 16 October respectively at the Estadio Olímpico Universitario in Mexico City. Twenty-three athletes from 15 nations competed. The maximum number of athletes per nation had been set at 3 since the 1930 Olympic Congress. The event was won by Bob Seagren of the United States, the nation's 16th consecutive victory in the men's pole vault. Claus Schiprowski of West Germany took silver, while Wolfgang Nordwig of East Germany took bronze—the first medals for each of those nations as separate teams, though two West German vaulters had earned silver and bronze for the United Team of Germany in 1964.

The men's pole vault competition at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The event was held at the Olympic Stadium between 13–15 August. Thirty-one athletes from 16 nations competed. Thiago Braz da Silva of Brazil won the gold medal, the nation's first medal in the men's pole vault. Renaud Lavillenie of France was unable to successfully defend his 2012 gold, but became the seventh man to win two medals with silver this time. Sam Kendricks's bronze returned the United States to the podium after a one-Games absence.

References

  1. "Athletics at the 1988 Seoul Summer Games: Men's Pole Vault". sports-reference.com. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 5 January 2018.
  2. 1 2 "Pole Vault, Men". Olympedia. Retrieved 24 September 2020.
  3. Official Report, vol. 2, p. 242.