Athletics at the 1996 Summer Olympics – Men's pole vault

Last updated

Contents

Men's pole vault
at the Games of the XXVI Olympiad
JO Atlanta 1996 - Saut a la perche.jpg
Pole vaulting at the 1996 Summer Olympics
Venue Centennial Olympic Stadium
Date31 July 1996 (qualifying)
2 August 1996 (final)
Competitors37 from 24 nations
Winning height5.92 OR
Medalists
Gold medal icon.svg Jean Galfione
Flag of France.svg  France
Silver medal icon.svg Igor Trandenkov
Flag of Russia.svg  Russia
Bronze medal icon.svg Andrei Tivontchik
Flag of Germany.svg  Germany
  1992
2000  

The men's pole vault was an event at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia. [1] Thirty-seven athletes from 24 nations competed. [2] 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 (previously in 1984). Igor Trandenkov took silver, the first medal for Russia in the pole vault (though Trandenkov had himself taken silver in 1992 as well, as part of the Unified Team; Trandenkov was the sixth man to win two medals in the event and the first to do it under two different flags). 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.

Summary

In the final, the tie between returning silver medalist Igor Trandenkov and Jean Galfione was broke by counting the number of their misses, with Galfione having had one miss earlier in the competition, and Trandenkov having had two misses, meaning that Galfione won gold, while Tradenkov earned second straight silver. Andrei Tivontchik cleared 5.92 on his second attempt to take bronze. [3] [4]

Background

This was the 23rd appearance of the event, which is one of 12 athletics events to have been held at every Summer Olympics. The returning finalists from the 1992 Games were silver medalist Igor Trandenkov of the Unified Team (now representing Russia), bronze medalist Javier García of Spain, and eighth-place finisher Danny Krasnov of Israel. By this competition, Sergey Bubka (gold medalist in 1988 for the Soviet Union, finalist in 1992 for the Unified Team, and now competing for Ukraine) had already pushed the world record to its current state and was the overwhelming favorite to win. But continuing his Olympic curse, Bubka came into the competition with a heel injury and did not make an attempt. To add further injury, his brother Vasiliy Bubka was one of seven athletes unable to clear a height in qualifying. Without Sergey Bubka competing, the field was "wide-open." [2]

Belarus, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Saint Lucia, and Ukraine each made their men's pole vaulting debut. The United States made its 22nd 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 5.20 metres, 5.40 metres, 5.60 metres, and 5.70 metres. All vaulters clearing 5.70 metres advanced to the final. If fewer than 12 cleared that height, the top 12 (including ties, after applying the countback rules) advanced.

In the final, the bar was set at 5.40 metres, 5.60 metres, 5.70 metres, 5.80 metres, 5.86 metres, 5.92 metres, 5.97 metres, and 6.02 metres. [2] [5]

Records

These were the standing world and Olympic records (in metres) prior to the 1996 Summer Olympics.

World recordFlag of Ukraine.svg  Sergey Bubka  (UKR)6.14 Sestriere, Italy 31 July 1994
Olympic recordFlag of the Soviet Union.svg  Sergey Bubka  (URS)5.90 Seoul, South Korea 30 July 1988

The three medalists (Jean Galfione, Igor Trandenkov, and Andrei Tivontchik) all cleared 5.92 metres, breaking the Olympic record. None succeeded at any higher attempts.

Schedule

All times are Eastern Daylight Time (UTC-4)

DateTimeRound
Wednesday, 31 July 19969:30Qualifying
Friday, 2 August 199617:00Final

Results

Key

Qualifying

The qualifying round was held on Wednesday July 31, 1996. Qualification rule: Qualifying performance 5.70 (Q) or at least 12 best performers (q) advance to the final.

RankGroupAthleteNation5.205.405.605.70HeightNotes
1A Alain Andji Flag of France.svg  France ooo5.70Q
A Tim Lobinger Flag of Germany.svg  Germany ooo5.70Q
B Pyotr Bochkaryov Flag of Russia.svg  Russia oo5.70Q
B Riaan Botha Flag of South Africa.svg  South Africa ooo5.70Q
5A Jeff Hartwig Flag of the United States.svg  United States oxoo5.70Q
B Jean Galfione Flag of France.svg  France xooo5.70Q
7A Igor Trandenkov Flag of Russia.svg  Russia xxoo5.70Q
8A Igor Potapovich Flag of Kazakhstan.svg  Kazakhstan oxo5.70Q
9B Andrei Tivontchik Flag of Germany.svg  Germany oxxo5.70Q
10A Michael Stolle Flag of Germany.svg  Germany xoxooxxo5.70Q
11B Lawrence Johnson Flag of the United States.svg  United States xoxxoxxo5.70Q
12A Dmitriy Markov Flag of Belarus (1995-2012).svg  Belarus ooxxx5.60q
B Scott Huffman Flag of the United States.svg  United States ooxxx5.60q
B Danny Krasnov Flag of Israel.svg  Israel ooxxx5.60q
15B José Manuel Arcos Flag of Spain.svg  Spain xxooxxx5.60
16A Jim Miller Flag of Australia.svg  Australia xoxoxxx5.60
17A Viktor Chistyakov Flag of Russia.svg  Russia xxoxoxxx5.60
18A Nuno Fernandes Flag of Portugal.svg  Portugal xooxxoxxx5.60
B Heikki Vääräniemi Flag of Finland.svg  Finland xoxxoxxx5.60
20A Konstantin Semyonov Flag of Israel.svg  Israel ox–xx5.40
B Nick Buckfield Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  Great Britain oxxxN/A5.40
B Javier García Flag of Spain.svg  Spain oxxxN/A5.40
23A Laurens Looije Flag of the Netherlands.svg  Netherlands xxooxxxN/A5.40
24A Neil Winter Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  Great Britain oxoxxxN/A5.40
B Kim Chul-kyun Flag of South Korea (1984-1997).svg  South Korea oxoxxxN/A5.40
26B Martin Voss Flag of Denmark.svg  Denmark xoxox–xx5.40
27B Aleksandrs Obižajevs Flag of Latvia.svg  Latvia xxoxxxN/A5.40
28A Edgar Díaz Flag of Puerto Rico.svg  Puerto Rico xoxxoxxxN/A5.40
29B Alexandru Jucov Flag of Moldova.svg  Moldova oxxxN/A5.20
30A Teruyasu Yonekura Flag of Japan (1870-1999).svg  Japan xxoxxxN/A5.20
A Okkert Brits Flag of South Africa.svg  South Africa xxxN/ANo mark
A Vasiliy Bubka Flag of Ukraine.svg  Ukraine xxxN/ANo mark
A Juan Gabriel Concepción Flag of Spain.svg  Spain xxxN/ANo mark
A Kersley Gardenne Flag of Mauritius.svg  Mauritius xxxN/ANo mark
B Simon Arkell Flag of Australia.svg  Australia xxxN/ANo mark
B Valeri Bukrejev Flag of Estonia.svg  Estonia xxxN/ANo mark
B Dominic Johnson Flag of Saint Lucia (1979-2002).svg  Saint Lucia xxxN/ANo mark
B Sergey Bubka Flag of Ukraine.svg  Ukraine DNS

Final

Igor Potapovich in Atlanta JO Atlanta 1996 - Saut a la perche.jpg
Igor Potapovich in Atlanta

The final was held on Friday August 2, 1996.

RankAthleteNation5.405.605.705.805.865.925.976.02HeightNotes
Gold medal icon.svg Jean Galfione Flag of France.svg  France oxooox–xx5.92 OR
Silver medal icon.svg Igor Trandenkov Flag of Russia.svg  Russia oxx–oxxx5.92 OR
Bronze medal icon.svg Andrei Tivontchik Flag of Germany.svg  Germany xoxoxoxoxxxN/A5.92 OR
4 Igor Potapovich Flag of Kazakhstan.svg  Kazakhstan oox–xxN/A5.86
5 Pyotr Bochkaryov Flag of Russia.svg  Russia xoxooxx–xN/A5.86
6 Dmitriy Markov Flag of Belarus (1995-2012).svg  Belarus ooxoxxoxoxxxN/A5.86
7 Tim Lobinger Flag of Germany.svg  Germany ooox–xxN/A5.80
8 Lawrence Johnson Flag of the United States.svg  United States oooxxxN/A5.70
9 Alain Andji Flag of France.svg  France ooxxoxxxN/A5.70
Michael Stolle Flag of Germany.svg  Germany ooxxoxxxN/A5.70
11 Jeff Hartwig Flag of the United States.svg  United States ooxxxN/A5.60
Danny Krasnov Flag of Israel.svg  Israel ooxxxN/A5.60
13 Scott Huffman Flag of the United States.svg  United States xooxxxN/A5.60
14 Riaan Botha Flag of South Africa.svg  South Africa oxoxxxN/A5.60

Related Research Articles

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

Pierre Quinon French pole vaulter

Pierre Quinon was a pole vaulter from France who won the 1984 Olympic Games pole vault gold medal and held the pole vault outdoor world record for just four days in the summer of 1983.

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 before the final (15) took place on Wednesday September 28, 1988. The maximum number of athletes per nation had been set at 3 since the 1930 Olympic Congress.

Athletics at the 1952 Summer Olympics – Mens pole vault

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 1960 Summer Olympics – Mens pole vault

The men's pole vault field event at the 1960 Olympic Games took place on September 5 and September 7. Twenty-nine athletes from 20 nations competed. The maximum number of athletes per nation had been set at 3 since the 1930 Olympic Congress. The event was won by Don Bragg of the United States, the nation's 14th consecutive victory in the men's pole vault. Ron Morris took silver, making it three straight Games the American team had finished 1–2. Eeles Landström's bronze was Finland's first medal in the event since 1948.

Athletics at the 2012 Summer Olympics – Mens pole vault

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

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

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

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.

Athletics at the 2020 Summer Olympics – Mens pole vault Olympic athletics event

The men's pole vault event at the 2020 Summer Olympics took place between 31 July and 3 August 2021 at the Japan National Stadium. 29 athletes from 18 nations competed. Armand Duplantis of Sweden won gold, with Christopher Nilsen of the United States earning silver and Thiago Braz of Brazil taking bronze. It was Sweden's first victory in the event and first medal of any color in the men's pole vault since 1952. Braz, who had won in 2016, became the ninth man to earn multiple medals in the pole vault.

Athletics at the 2020 Summer Olympics – Womens pole vault Olympic athletics event

The women's pole vault event at the 2020 Summer Olympics took place on 2 and 5 August 2021 at the Japan National Stadium. 31 athletes from 19 nations competed. In her first Olympics, 30-year-old American Katie Nageotte won the gold medal with a clearance of 4.90 metres. The silver medal went to Russian world champion Anzhelika Sidorova and the bronze to Holly Bradshaw of Great Britain.

References

  1. "Athletics at the 1996 Atlanta Summer Games: Men's Pole Vault". sports-reference.com. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 5 January 2018.
  2. 1 2 3 "Pole Vault, Men". Olympedia. Retrieved 25 September 2020.
  3. "The changing face of men's Pole Vaulting | NEWS | World Athletics".
  4. "Olympic pole-vault champ commits suicide - The Local". Archived from the original on 2016-01-04.
  5. Official Report, vol. 3, p. 90.