Pole Vault History
Event Depth Chart . . .
Pole Vault
Pole vaulting was known to the ancient Greeks, and the Cretans used long
poles to vault over bulls.
The Celts used to pole vault - but for length. This event became a vertical
jump in Germany around 1775, during gymnastics competitions.
The year 1850 saw the first competition of "running pole leaping". The heavy,
rigid poles were made of ash and the athletes climbed them as they jumped.
In 1889, the Americans banned the movement of the hands along the pole and
invented the technique of reversing the legs upwards, clearing the crossbar
with stomach facing down.
In 1900 lightweight bamboo poles were used for the first time, remaining
in use for several decades (the last world record using bamboo was Cornelius
Warmerdam's long-standing 4.77m in 1942), and the receiving 'box' for the
pole was also introduced.
In 1957 another American, Bob Gutowski, used an aluminium pole to set a
world record of 4.78m which was broken in 1960 by Don Bragg (USA) who used
a steel pole to clear 4.80m. This period also saw the introduction of landing
mattresses which meant improved safety for competitors.
The fibreglass pole, which permitted flexion and has revolutionised vaulting
technique, saw the light of day in the USA in 1956. The first world record
using this material was set in 1961 by George Davies (USA) with 4.83m.