Final 18:35 | Height | 535 | 550 | 565 | 575 | 580 | 585 | 1. Rens Blom | NED | 5.80m | - | XXO | XO | XO | O | X | 2. Brad Walker | USA | 5.75m | - | XXO | XO | XO | X- | XX | 3. Pavel Gerasimov | RUS | 5.65m | - | O | XO | XXX | 4. Igor Pavlov | RUS | 5.65m | - | O | XXO | XXX | 5. Tim Lobinger | GER | 5.50m | - | O | XXX | 5. Giuseppe Gibilisco | ITA | 5.50m | - | O | XXX | 5. Nick Hysong | USA | 5.50m | - | O | XXX | 8. Daichi Sawano | JPN | 5.50m | XO | O | XXX | 9. Patrik Kristiansson | SWE | 5.50m | - | XXO | XXX | 10.Kevin Rans | BEL | 5.35m | O | XXX | -. Danny Ecker | GER | NM | - | XXX | -. Dmitri Markov | AUS | NM | - | XXX |
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The qualifying round featured a long delay after Matti Mononen demolished one of the uprights after failing at 5.45. In that time weather conditions grew worse and after an infield debate including athletes, officials and IAAF Council member Sergey Bubka it was agreed to reduce the qualifying height from 5.75 to 5.60. Ultimately, vaults of 5.45 were sufficient for progression.
The weather was 10° colder for the final. The average lifetime best for the finalists was 5.90, but 5.65 proved too difficult for all but four of the jumpers. The height of 5.75 was too much for European Indoor champion Pavlov and his team-mate Gerasimov, but US favourite Walker and rank outsider Blom cleared on their second attempts. Walker failed once at 5.80 and then, when Blom cleared first time, twice more at 5.85. Blom later said “when I woke up this morning and saw what the weather was like I thought I had a good chance of doing well.” He became the first Dutchman ever to win a World or Olympic title.
| mark 5.60m, Stand.A 5.75m, Stand.B 5.60m |
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