When you think about it, the pole vault is quite interesting. There is a bar 4 to 5 meters high that you want to clear. Jumping won’t cut it. Your only option is to run as fast as you can and use a long pole to vault over the bar.
Historically, the pole vault was first used to get over canals and marshes. It was simply a matter of maximizing your horizontal distance. In the mid-1800s, some bright guy thought he’d see how high he might get pole vaulting. The modern pole vault was, according to Wikipedia, born with its first proper competition in Germany in 1950. The original poles were stiff, but over time flexible poles of fiberglass and, later, carbon fiber allowed athletes to achieve ever-greater heights. The current outdoor record, set by Sergey Bubka in 1994, stands at an amazing 6.14 meters.
via Wired
August 7, 2012
