Michael Bull (born 11 September 1946, Belfast, Northern Ireland) [1] is a retired male pole vaulter and decathlete from Northern Ireland. He set his personal best in the pole vault (5.25 metres) on 22 September 1973 at a meet in London.
Bull first achieved success in 1966, winning silver for the pole vault at the Commonwealth Games. [2] Then in 1970, he won gold at the Commonwealth Games.[ citation needed ] He appeared in 69 internationals for Great Britain and Northern Ireland [ citation needed ] and captained the team on numerous[ quantify ] occasions.[ citation needed ] In 1991, he won the World Masters (over 40) pole vault in Finland.[ citation needed ]
Upon retirement from professional athletics, Bull lectured on sports studies[ citation needed ] and provided sports commentary for UTV (Ulster Television).[ citation needed ] He opened his own gym in Dufferin Avenue, Bangor, County Down (Northern Ireland), Mike Bull's Health Gym[ citation needed ] (now Paul's Gym), and was a fitness adviser for the Irish Rugby Football Union.[ citation needed ]
In 2012, Dr Mike Bull was awarded the OBE by the Queen for services to sport and charity. [3]
In 2014, Mike Bull was awarded the accolade of "Britain's Greatest Ever Pole-vaulter" in World renowned athletics magazine Athletics Weekly by leading statistician Mel Watman.[ citation needed ]
Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event |
---|---|---|---|---|
1966 | British Empire and Commonwealth Games | Kingston, Jamaica | 2nd | Pole vault |
1969 | European Championships | Athens, Greece | 7th | Pole vault |
1970 | European Indoor Championships | Vienna, Austria | 7th | Pole vault |
British Commonwealth Games | Edinburgh, Scotland | 1st | Pole vault | |
1972 | European Indoor Championships | Grenoble, France | 6th | Pole vault |
1974 | British Commonwealth Games | Christchurch, New Zealand | 2nd | Pole vault |
1st | Decathlon | |||
1978 | Commonwealth Games | Edmonton, Canada | NM | Pole vault |
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