Pole vault at the World Athletics Championships
| Pole vault at the World Athletics Championships | |
|---|---|
Piotr Lisek competing in the 2019 final. | |
| Overview | |
| Gender | Men and women |
| Years held | Men: 1983 – 2025 Women: 1999 – 2025 |
| Championship record | |
| Men | 6.30 m Armand Duplantis (2025) |
| Women | 5.01 m Yelena Isinbayeva (2005) |
| Reigning champion | |
| Men | Armand Duplantis (SWE) |
| Women | Katie Moon (USA) |
The pole vault at the World Athletics Championships has been contested by men since 1983 and women since 1999. The competition format typically has one qualifying round contested by two groups of athletes, with all those clearing the qualifying height or placing in top twelve overall advancing to the final round.
The United States is the most successful nation in the event, winning a total of 17 medals, including 7 golds. Russia is the second-most successful nation, with 14 medals in total and 5 golds. The Soviet Union, Ukraine and Australia are the only two other nations that have won more than 2 gold medals. France is the most successful nation to have never won a gold medal, with 4 silvers and 5 bronzes, all in the men's event.
Sergey Bubka is the most successful athlete in the event, winning 6 gold medals in a row between the inaugural edition in 1983 and 1997. His 6 gold medals are more than any athlete has won in an individual event in World Athletics Championships history. Yelena Isinbayeva is the most successful athlete on the women's side, winning 3 gold and 1 bronze medal between 2003 and 2013. Four athletes have won two world titles: Sam Kendricks and Armand Duplantis on the men's side, and Stacy Dragila and Katie Moon on the women's side.
The championship records for the event are 6.21 for men, set by Armand Duplantis in 2022, and 5.01 m for women, set by Yelena Isinbayeva in 2005. The world record has been broken three times total at the World Championships: the men's record by Duplantis in 2022, and the women's record by Dragila and Isinbayeva in 1999 and 2005 respectively.
Age records
- All information from World Athletics.[1]
| Distinction | Male | Female | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Athlete | Age | Date | Athlete | Age | Date | |
| Youngest champion | Sergey Bubka (URS) | 19 years, 253 days | 14 Aug 1983 | Svetlana Feofanova (RUS) | 23 years, 40 days | 25 Aug 2003 |
| Youngest medalist | Sergey Bubka (URS) | 19 years, 253 days | 14 Aug 1983 | Robeilys Peinado (VEN) | 19 years, 253 days | 6 Aug 2017 |
| Youngest finalist | Armand Duplantis (SWE) | 17 years, 271 days | 8 Aug 2017 | Robeilys Peinado (VEN) | 19 years, 253 days | 6 Aug 2017 |
| Youngest participant | Natan Rivera (ESA) | 16 years, 253 days | 22 Aug 2015 | Vicky Parnov (AUS) | 16 years, 306 days | 26 Aug 2007 |
| Oldest champion | Sergey Bubka (UKR) | 33 years, 249 days | 10 Aug 1997 | Yelena Isinbayeva (RUS) | 31 years, 71 days | 13 Aug 2013 |
| Oldest medalist | Björn Otto (GER) | 35 years, 300 days | 12 Aug 2013 | Fabiana Murer (BRA) | 31 years, 189 days | 26 Aug 2015 |
| Oldest finalist | Renaud Lavillenie (FRA) | 39 years, 362 days | 15 Sept 2025 | Jenn Suhr (USA) | 37 years, 236 days | 29 Sep 2019 |
| Oldest participant | Renaud Lavillenie (FRA) | 39 years, 362 days | 15 Sept 2025 | Stacy Dragila (USA) | 38 years, 143 days | 15 Aug 2009 |
Medalists
Men
Multiple medalists
| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Period | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sergey Bubka | Soviet Union (URS) Ukraine (UKR) |
1983–1997 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| 2 | Armand Duplantis | Sweden (SWE) | 2019-2025 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| 3 | Sam Kendricks | United States (USA) | 2017–2019 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 4 | Maksim Tarasov | Russia (RUS) | 1991–1999 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 |
| 5 | Dmitri Markov | Australia (AUS) | 1999–2001 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Brad Walker | United States (USA) | 2005–2007 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | |
| Raphael Holzdeppe | Germany (GER) | 2013–2015 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | |
| 8 | Paweł Wojciechowski | Poland (POL) | 2011–2015 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 9 | Renaud Lavillenie | France (FRA) | 2009–2017 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 5 |
| 10 | Piotr Lisek | Poland (POL) | 2015–2019 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 11 | Aleksandr Averbukh | Israel (ISR) | 1999–2001 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Christopher Nilsen | United States (USA) | 2022-2023 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Ernest John Obiena | Philippines (PHI) | 2022-2023 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| 14 | Kurtis Marschall | Australia (AUS) | 2023–2025 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
Medals by country
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States (USA) | 3 | 2 | 3 | 8 |
| 2 | Soviet Union (URS) | 3 | 1 | 2 | 6 |
| 3 | Sweden (SWE) | 3 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| 4 | Ukraine (UKR) | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 5 | Australia (AUS) | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 |
| 6 | Russia (RUS) | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 |
| 7 | Poland (POL) | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 |
| 8 | Germany (GER) | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| 9 | Canada (CAN) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Italy (ITA) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| Netherlands (NED) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| 12 | France (FRA) | 0 | 4 | 5 | 9 |
| 13 | Cuba (CUB) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Hungary (HUN) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Israel (ISR) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Philippines (PHL) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| 17 | Greece (GRE) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Kazakhstan (KAZ) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| South Africa (RSA) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 20 | Bulgaria (BUL) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Women
Multiple medalists
| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Period | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yelena Isinbayeva | Russia (RUS) | 2003–2013 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| 2 | Katie Moon | United States (USA) | 2022-2025 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 3 | Stacy Dragila | United States (USA) | 1999–2001 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 4 | Svetlana Feofanova | Russia (RUS) | 2001–2011 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| 5 | Fabiana Murer | Brazil (BRA) | 2011–2015 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 6 | Yarisley Silva | Cuba (CUB) | 2013–2015 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| 7 | Ekaterini Stefanidi | Greece (GRE) | 2017–2019 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Nina Kennedy | Australia (AUS) | 2022-2023 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | |
| 9 | Sandi Morris | United States (USA) | 2017–2025 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 3 |
| 10 | Monika Pyrek | Poland (POL) | 2001–2009 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
Medals by country
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States (USA) | 5 | 6 | 0 | 11 |
| 2 | Russia (RUS) | 4 | 1 | 3 | 8 |
| 3 | Poland (POL) | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| 4 | Brazil (BRA) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 5 | Australia (AUS) | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 6 | Cuba (CUB) | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| Greece (GRE) | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | |
| 8 | Authorised Neutral Athletes (ANA) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 9 | Germany (GER) | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 10 | Czech Republic (CZE) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 11 | Ukraine (UKR) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 12 | Finland (FIN) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Slovenia (SLO) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Venezuela (VEN) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Championship record progression
Men
| Mark | Athlete | Nation | Year | Round | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5.40 m | Sergey Bubka | Soviet Union (URS) | 1983 | Final | 1983-08-14 |
| Konstantin Volkov | Soviet Union (URS) | 1983 | Final | 1983-08-14 | |
| Władysław Kozakiewicz | Poland (POL) | 1983 | Final | 1983-08-14 | |
| Thierry Vigneron | France (FRA) | 1983 | Final | 1983-08-14 | |
| Frantisek Jansa | Czechoslovakia (TCH) | 1983 | Final | 1983-08-14 | |
| Miro Zalar | Sweden (SWE) | 1983 | Final | 1983-08-14 | |
| Tom Hintnaus | Brazil (BRA) | 1983 | Final | 1983-08-14 | |
| Felix Bohni | Switzerland (SUI) | 1983 | Final | 1983-08-14 | |
| Vladimir Polyakov | Soviet Union (URS) | 1983 | Final | 1983-08-14 | |
| Tadeusz Slusarski | Poland (POL) | 1983 | Final | 1983-08-14 | |
| Jeff Buckingham | United States (USA) | 1983 | Final | 1983-08-14 | |
| Veijo Vannesluoma | Finland (FIN) | 1983 | Final | 1983-08-14 | |
| 5.50 m | Sergey Bubka | Soviet Union (URS) | 1983 | Final | 1983-08-14 |
| Tom Hintnaus | Brazil (BRA) | 1983 | Final | 1983-08-14 | |
| Atanas Tarev | Bulgaria (BUL) | 1983 | Final | 1983-08-14 | |
| Patrick Abada | France (FRA) | 1983 | Final | 1983-08-14 | |
| Miro Zalar | Sweden (SWE) | 1983 | Final | 1983-08-14 | |
| 5.55 m | Tadeusz Slusarski | Poland (POL) | 1983 | Final | 1983-08-14 |
| 5.60 m | Konstantin Volkov | Soviet Union (URS) | 1983 | Final | 1983-08-14 |
| Atanas Tarev | Bulgaria (BUL) | 1983 | Final | 1983-08-14 | |
| Sergey Bubka | Soviet Union (URS) | 1983 | Final | 1983-08-14 | |
| 5.70 m | Sergey Bubka | Soviet Union (URS) | 1983 | Final | 1983-08-14 |
| Nikolay Nikolov | Bulgaria (BUL) | 1987 | Final | 1987-09-05 | |
| Thierry Vigneron | France (FRA) | 1987 | Final | 1987-09-05 | |
| Sergey Bubka | Soviet Union (URS) | 1987 | Final | 1987-09-05 | |
| Rodion Gataulin | Soviet Union (URS) | 1987 | Final | 1987-09-05 | |
| Marian Kolasa | Poland (POL) | 1987 | Final | 1987-09-05 | |
| 5.80 m | Rodion Gataulin | Soviet Union (URS) | 1987 | Final | 1987-09-05 |
| Thierry Vigneron | France (FRA) | 1987 | Final | 1987-09-05 | |
| Marian Kolasa | Poland (POL) | 1987 | Final | 1987-09-05 | |
| 5.85 m | Sergey Bubka | Soviet Union (URS) | 1987 | Final | 1987-09-05 |
| 5.90 m | Istvan Bagyula | Hungary (HUN) | 1991 | Final | 1991-08-29 |
| 5.95 m | Sergey Bubka | Soviet Union (URS) | 1991 | Final | 1991-08-29 |
| 6.00 m | Sergey Bubka | Ukraine (UKR) | 1993 | Final | 1993-08-19 |
| 6.01 m | Sergey Bubka | Ukraine (UKR) | 1997 | Final | 1997-08-10 |
| 6.02 m | Maksim Tarasov | Russia (RUS) | 1999 | Final | 1999-08-26 |
| 6.05 m | Dmitriy Markov | Australia (AUS) | 2001 | Final | 2001-08-09 |
| 6.06 m | Armand Duplantis | Sweden (SWE) | 2022 | Final | 2022-07-24 |
| 6.21 m WR | Armand Duplantis | Sweden (SWE) | 2022 | Final | 2022-07-24 |
| 6.30 m WR | Armand Duplantis | Sweden (SWE) | 2025 | Final | 2025-09-15 |
Women
| Time | Athlete | Nation | Year | Round | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4.40 m | Nicole Humbert | Germany (GER) | 1999 | Final | 1999-08-21 |
| Zsuzsanna Szabo | Hungary (HUN) | 1999 | Final | 1999-08-21 | |
| Stacy Dragila | United States (USA) | 1999 | Final | 1999-08-21 | |
| Pavla Hamackova | Czech Republic (CZE) | 1999 | Final | 1999-08-21 | |
| Daniela Bartova | Czech Republic (CZE) | 1999 | Final | 1999-08-21 | |
| 4.45 m | Tatiana Grigorieva | Russia (RUS) | 1999 | Final | 1999-08-21 |
| Anzhela Balakhonova | Ukraine (UKR) | 1999 | Final | 1999-08-21 | |
| Stacy Dragila | United States (USA) | 1999 | Final | 1999-08-21 | |
| 4.50 m | Anzhela Balakhonova | Ukraine (UKR) | 1999 | Final | 1999-08-21 |
| Stacy Dragila | United States (USA) | 1999 | Final | 1999-08-21 | |
| 4.55 m | Anzhela Balakhonova | Ukraine (UKR) | 1999 | Final | 1999-08-21 |
| Stacy Dragila | United States (USA) | 1999 | Final | 1999-08-21 | |
| 4.60 m WR | Stacy Dragila | United States (USA) | 1999 | Final | 1999-08-21 |
| 4.60 m | Stacy Dragila | United States (USA) | 2001 | Final | 2001-08-06 |
| Svetlana Feofanova | Russia (RUS) | 2001 | Final | 2001-08-06 | |
| 4.65 m | Stacy Dragila | United States (USA) | 2001 | Final | 2001-08-06 |
| Svetlana Feofanova | Russia (RUS) | 2001 | Final | 2001-08-06 | |
| 4.70 m | Stacy Dragila | United States (USA) | 2001 | Final | 2001-08-06 |
| Svetlana Feofanova | Russia (RUS) | 2001 | Final | 2001-08-06 | |
| 4.75 m | Svetlana Feofanova | Russia (RUS) | 2001 | Final | 2003-08-25 |
| Stacy Dragila | United States (USA) | 2001 | Final | 2001-08-06 | |
| Svetlana Feofanova | Russia (RUS) | 2001 | Final | 2003-08-25 | |
| 5.01 m WR | Yelena Isinbayeva | Russia (RUS) | 2005 | Final | 2005-08-12 |
Best performances
Top ten highest World Championship vaults1
1Does not include ancillary marks
See also
References
- ^ "World Athletics Championships - Budapest 23 Statistical Booklet" (PDF). www.worldathletics.org: 42–45.
- ^ Main > Men's Pole Vault > World Championships Records Progression. Track and Field Brinkster. Retrieved on 2024-10-08.
- ^ Main > Women's pole vault > World Championships Records Progression. Track and Field Brinkster. Retrieved on 2024-10-08.
- ^ "Men's pole vault".
- ^ "Women's pole vault". Archived from the original on 23 April 2024. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
Bibliography
- Butler, Mark (2023). World Athletics Championships Budapest 2023 Statistics Book. World Athletics.