Toby Stevenson at the Rome Golden League meeting (© Getty Images)
At the Olympic Stadium in Helsinki, the winds are always unpredictable, and for most Pole Vaulters, the Olympic Stadium is not on their list of favourite venues.
But the Stadium is rich in tradition in this event: it was here Sergey Bubka’s unequalled run at the World Championships began. Bubka won six World Championship titles in a row starting from Helsinki 1983.
This time, it is not easy to name one favourite to win the title, during the 2005 season the vaulters have been inconsistent.
This year’s best pole vaulter, Australian Paul Burgess, will not compete in Helsinki. Burgess became in 11th man all-time to clear the bar at 6.00m this year, but a calf injury forced Burgess to withdraw from the Championships. Tim Mack, the American Olympic gold medallist from Athens, is not in the US team in Helsinki, he could only finish a disappointing 7th in the US Championships.
In Burgess’s and Mack’s absence, many would pick Toby Stevenson of the United States as the top favourite in Helsinki. Stevenson joined the select few to clear six metres last year, and in Athens he showed his true quality as a competitor. He took the silver at the Olympics behind Mack. Stevenson is easily recognisable, as he is the only vaulter wearing a helmet.
Stevenson’s best result this year is 5.90m from Eugene, Oregon, in early June. In that competition, he was defeated by Brad Walker, also 5.90m. Stevenson cleared 5.85m in California in May and he won the TDK Golden League meet in Rome with 5.81m in July. In Helsinki in late July, Stevenson lost at the dress rehearsal for the World Championships to another American,. Derek Miles, who did not make it to the US World Championships team.
Brad Walker was the winner at the US championships and in Eugene. He has also cleared 5.80m twice this season. At 24 years of age, Walker is less experienced than the other Americans competing in Helsinki. Nick Hysong won gold at the Olympics in Sydney 2000 and he placed second in the US trials, but his best result this year is only 5.70m.
Australia’s Steven Hooker has cleared 5.87m this year, but his best results are from very early on in the season.
Two years ago in Paris, Giuseppe Gibilisco of Italy was a surprise World champion. This time around he is considered one of the medal contenders. At the European Cup Super League at Florence, Gibilisco showed he was in control of his nerves with a convincing win with 5.80m. The Italian was also Olympic bronze medallist.
Igor Pavlov of Russia has won both the World Indoor and the European Indoor Championships. His best result of the outdoor season is 5.80m. Tim Lobinger and Lars Börgeling of Germany have showed good form and cleared heights around 5.80m.
Of the main challengers to the favourites, Daichi Sawano of Japan has a lot of potential. In May, Sawano vaulted the new Japanese national record of 5.83m at Shizuoka. Sawano came second at the TDK Golden League in Rome with 5.71m. Kostadinos Filippidis is the hot new name in the Pole Vault. At 18, he has this year cleared 5.72m. He could break Maksim Tarasov’s World Junior record of 5.80m.
The Finnish crowd will be cheering for Matti Mononen, bronze medallist at the Under-23 European Championships in July. Mononen has recovered fast from his serious car accident in January.
Helsinki 2005 media team
