Pole vaulting, also known as pole jumping, is a track and field event in which an athlete uses a long and flexible pole, usually made from fiberglass or carbon fiber, as an aid to jump over a bar. Pole jumping was already practiced by the ancient Egyptians, ancient Greeks and the ancient Irish people, although modern pole vaulting, an athletic contest where height is measured, was first established by the German teacher Johann Christoph Friedrich GutsMuths in the 1790s. It has been a full medal event at the Olympic Games since 1896 for men and since 2000 for women.
Robert Eugene Richards was an American athlete, minister, and politician. He made three U.S. Olympic Teams in two events: the 1948, 1952, and 1956 Summer Olympics as a pole vaulter and as a decathlete in 1956. He won gold medals in pole vault in both 1952 and 1956, becoming the first male two-time champion in the event in Olympic history.
Brad Walker is an American pole vaulter. He was the American recordholder and was the 2007 World Champion in the event.
Vincent Francis Papale is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver. He played three seasons with the NFL's Philadelphia Eagles, primarily on special teams, following two seasons with the Philadelphia Bell of the World Football League (WFL). Papale's story was the inspiration behind the 2006 film Invincible.
David Allen Johnson is a former Olympic decathlete from the United States. A native of Montana, he grew up in Missoula and Corvallis, Oregon. He was part of Reebok's "Dan & Dave" advertising campaign, with fellow decathlete Dan O'Brien, leading up to the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain, where he won a bronze medal in the decathlon. After retiring from competitive athletics he became a school teacher and administrator, serving as athletic director of Corban University in Salem, Oregon starting in 2009. Johnson accepted a position as Director with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes Oregon in June 2012. On November 14, 2012, Johnson resigned from Corban to devote more time to the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. He now coaches pole vault & hurdles at South Salem High School.
Charles Edward Dvorak was an American track and field athlete who specialized in the pole vault. He attended the University of Michigan where he competed for the Michigan Wolverines men's track and field team from 1900 to 1904. He participated in the 1900 Summer Olympics where he was a favorite in the pole vault. However, he missed the competition after being told by officials that the finals would be held on a Sunday. He won a special silver medal in a consolation competition. In 1903, he set a world's record in the pole vault with a jump of 11 feet, 11 inches.(This mark doesn't appear in the progression of World or American Records). Dvorak returned to international competition and won the gold medal in the pole vault at the 1904 Summer Olympics. Dvorak later served as a high school football, basketball and track coach in Seattle, Washington, where he died in 1969 at age 91.
Donald George Bragg was an American athlete who competed mainly in the pole vault and won a gold medal in that event at the 1960 Summer Olympics.
Jan Johnson is an American former athlete who competed mainly in the pole vault. He graduated in 1972 from the University of Alabama, where he holds the school record in the pole vault at 18 feet, 1/2 inch.
Derek Miles is an American pole vaulter, from Tea, South Dakota. A former pole vaulter for the University of South Dakota Track and Field team, Miles is currently an assistant coach for the Coyotes. In 2004, he placed seventh in the Summer Olympic Games in Athens, Greece. Miles was originally at fourth place in the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, China, but Ukrainian Denys Yurchenko who originally finished third, was disqualified in November 2016 due to use of dehydrochlormethyltestosterone. On 17 April 2017, Derek Miles received the Olympic bronze medal.
Billy Richard Olson is a retired American Olympic pole vaulter who held several world records, including the first 19-foot indoor pole vault. Olson finished 12th at the 1988 Summer Olympics, and was to have been part of the U.S. team for the boycotted 1980 Summer Olympics.
John Thomas Pennel was an American pole vaulter, and four-time world record holder.
Paul Kendall Gibbons is a former New Zealand pole vaulter. He competed for his native country at the 1990 Commonwealth Games and the 1992 Summer Olympics. He set his personal best in 1992 and equalled it in 1997. He won the New Zealand pole vault title ten times between 1991 and 2004.
Albert Richmond "Boo" Morcom was an American track and field athlete.
Volzing is a now illegal technique in the pole vault once popularized by its namesake, American David Volz. For a period of time during his career, until rules were written to outlaw it, Volz and later others who learned the technique, would be able to steady the bar, or even replace the bar back to its pegs after they had dislodged it all while still in mid air. It was outlawed by USATF Rule 183 5d; IAAF Rule 183 2d; NCAA 6-2b; NFHS Rule 7-5-29g
Jeff Bennett is a native of Vinita, Oklahoma. He is an American former decathlete who competed in the 1972 Summer Olympics.
Armand "Mondo" Duplantis is a Swedish-American pole vaulter. Regarded as the greatest pole vaulter of all time, Duplantis is the current world outdoor and indoor record holder. He is a two-time Olympic champion, two-time World outdoor and indoor champion, and the current European champion.
Dan Ripley is a retired American track and field athlete, known primarily for his success in the pole vault. Between January 18, 1975 and March 3, 1979 he improved the indoor World record in the pole vault five times.
Ernest John Uy Obiena is a Filipino pole vaulter. He is currently ranked world No. 3 in men's pole vault by the 2024 World Athletics Rankings.
Christopher Nilsen is an American athlete specialising in pole vault and high jump. He won the silver medal at the 2020 Summer Olympics in the pole vault event with a jump of 5.97 m.
Deakin Volz is an American track and field athlete, known for pole vault, though he has also had success in the high jump. He is the 2016 World U20 (Junior) champion, where he jumped a personal best of 5.65 m in Bydgoszcz, Poland. Deakin comes from a family line of vaulters as his brothers Drake and Drew are also pole vaulters. They are all coached by their father, 1992 Olympian Dave Volz, made famous for inventing his now-banned namesake technique of replacing the crossbar while still in the air.
