Pole Vault

track and field · olympic sport · physics

Ancient trick. People thousands of years ago in Egypt, Greece, and Ireland already used poles to jump over things, but they weren't competing to see who could go highest. Modern pole vaulting as a real sport started in the 1790s when a German teacher named Johann Christoph Friedrich GutsMuths decided to measure heights and make it a contest.

The run-up matters. Pole vaulters sprint as fast as they can down a runway, then plant their pole and use it like a springboard to flip themselves up and over the bar. The faster and more powerful your run, the higher you can vault.

Modern pole power. Today's poles are made from fiberglass or carbon fiber, which are light, bendy, and super strong. These materials store energy like a spring when the athlete plants them, which helps launch them even higher than older wooden poles ever could.

Olympic history. Pole vaulting became an Olympic event for men way back in 1896, but women didn't get to compete in the Olympics until 2000. Now both men and women vault at the Games and compete at the highest levels of the sport.