Men Pole Vault Athletics XIX Olympic Games Mexico 1968 - Wednesday 16.10 - Gold Medal: Bob Seagren, United States
Final
Height
SO
I
F
460
480
490
500
505
510
515
520
525
530
535
540
545
1. Bob Seagren
United States
5.40m
9.
9
5
O
XO
O
XO
XXX
2. Claus Schiprowski
West Germany
5.40m
13.
14
6
O
O
O
O
XO
O
XO
XO
XXX
3. Wolfgang Nordwig
East Germany
5.40m
7.
11
6
XO
O
O
O
XXO
XXX
4. Christos Papanikolaou
Greece
5.35m
4.
11
5
O
O
O
XO
XO
O
XXX
5. John Pennel
United States
5.35m
10.
11
7
O
XO
XO
XXO
XXX
6. Gennadiy Bliznyetsov
Soviet Union
5.30m
5.
9
4
O
O
O
O
XO
XXX
7. Herve d'Encausse
France
5.25m
15.
7
4
O
XO
O
XXX
8. Heinfrid Engel
West Germany
5.20m
12.
10
6
O
XXO
XO
O
XXX
9. Ignacio Sola
Spain
5.20m
--.
12
7
XO
O
XO
O
XXO
XXX
10.Kjell Isaksson
Sweden
5.15m
--.
7
4
O
XO
O
XXX
11.Kiyoshi Niwa
Japan
5.15m
--.
9
4
O
O
O
O
XO
XXX
12.Alexander Maliutin
Soviet Union
5.00m
--.
6
3
O
O
O
XXX
13.Michael Bull
Great Britain
5.00m
--.
8
5
XO
O
XO
XXX
14.Altti Alarotu
Finland
5.00m
--.
3
2
XXO
-. Erkki Mustakari
Finland
NM
--.
3
3
XXX
Competitors: 23; Countries: 15
Seagren was favourite, with European Champion Nordwig the next
man most likely to succeed. They, and 13 others, cleared 4.90 to qual-
ify. In the final only two athletes went out before the bar was raised to
5.10. Eleven men cleared 5.15 to beat the incumbent Olympic record,
and nine went over 5.20. Bliznetsov dropped a place from 1964 despite
clearing 5.30 – 35cm more than in Tokyo – leaving five men to battle
for the medals.
Pennel placed fifth after clearing 5.35 third time compared with
Hristos Papanikolau’s first-time effort. Then Pennel made 5.40 on his
second jump, good enough for the bronze medal ... but his pole passed
under the bar, negating the clearance. The rule was changed the follow-
ing year, but was in keeping with Pennel’s rotten Olympic luck.
Nordwig was the bronze medal winner, making 5.40 on his final jump,
while ahead of him Schiprowski was the surprise of the event, improv-
ing his best four times with booming athletic clearances at each height.
Seagren was ahead because he had one less miss at lower heights. None
of the three made 5.45, though Nordwig was closest, and Seagren had
won the 16th consecutive gold medal (excluding 1906) for the USA
The previous Olympic record was beaten 29 times by 11 athletes.
United States
West Germany
East Germany
Greece
Soviet Union
France
Spain
Sweden
Japan
Great Britain
Finland
Italy
Greece
Argentina
Taiwan
Switzerland
Austria
Denmark
Madagascar
