5 Stages of Vault History

There are 5 distinct stages of vault history defined by technical revolution, technological advancement, and paradigm-shifting individuals. Let’s take a journey through the pole vault world record archives and uncover the changes that made the sport what it is today.

Stage 1: The Dark Days

1848 - 1942

The time before the invention of the all-mighty fiberglass.
Vaulters would jump on solid wooden poles. Bamboo became favored, and aluminum after it, but the stiff-pole era vaulters could never hold high enough on the pole.

Stage 2: The Awakening

1957 - 1983

The first revolution in the sport occurred when stiff poles were traded out for fiberglass. Now, the vaulter could bend the pole and store a greater amount of potential energy after takeoff. Technique was beginning to coalesce into ____

Stage 3: Dominion

1984 - 1994

This is where the infamous reign of Sergey Bubka resides on the time scale. Bubka’s coach, Vitaly Petrov, radicalized the sport by ____

Stage 5: The End of Fiberglass

2014 - 2025

Enter the G.O.A.T.
Mondo Duplantis.
Enough said.

Safe to say that no one will have the same combination of speed, strength, body frame, gymnastics ability, experience and dedication as Mondo Duplantis and his parents Greg and Helena.

The next world record holder will not jump on fiberglass poles. What will he jump on?

A couple candidates:

Carbon fiber:

Pro — lighter than fiberglass

Con — certain brands are more likely to break