 Dragila at the 2005 Reno Pole Vault Summit | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | Stacy Renée Mikaelsen (1971-03-25)March 25, 1971 (age 54) Auburn, California, U.S. |
| Height | 5 ft 7+1⁄2 in (1.72 m) |
| Weight | 137 lb (62 kg) |
| Sport | |
| Country |  United States |
| Sport | Athletics |
Event | Pole vault |
| Club | Nike, Beaverton |
| Achievements and titles | |
| Personalbest | Pole vault: 4.83 (2004) |
Stacy Renée Mikaelson known asStacy Renée Dragila (born 25 March 1971) is a former Americanpole vaulter. She is anOlympic gold medalist and a multiple-timeworld champion.
Dragila was born and raised inAuburn, California, northeast ofSacramento. She participated ingymnastics but gave it up due to childhoodasthma.
She attendedPlacer High School where she playedvolleyball and competed on the track team as a sprinter, hurdler, and jumper. She was coached byYuba Community College's John Orognen. She competed in the300 meters hurdles at theCIF California State Meet, but did not place. In 1990, she placed second at theGolden West Invitational in the400 meters hurdles.[1]
She graduated fromIdaho State University in 1995. At ISU, she competed in theheptathlon. She was introduced to pole vaulting by her coach, a former vaulter himself, and she participated in some of the earliest sanctioned women's pole vault competitions.[2]
Dragila won the women's pole vault competition at the1996 U.S. Olympic Trials. Women's pole vault was a demonstration event at the Trials, and it was not included in the program of the1996 Olympics inAtlanta.[3]
In March 1997, Dragila won the pole vault competition at theIndoor World Championships and set her firstindoor world record, 4.48 m (14 ft 8 in).[4] Later that month, she scored 6,999 points in awomen's decathlon in Los Angeles, setting an earlyAmerican record in the event.[5][6]
At the 1999 Outdoor World Championships, she again won gold and set her firstoutdoor world record, 4.60 m (15 ft 1 in). Over the course of her career, she set or tied the indoor world record 8 times and the outdoor world record 10 times.[4]
After winning the2000 U.S. Olympic Trials and resetting the world record at 4.63 m (15 ft 2 in), Dragila won the first women's pole vault Olympic gold medal at the2000 Olympic Games in Sydney.
TheWorld Championships in2009 was Dragila's final major championship. She finished with a jump of 4.25 m (13 ft11+1⁄2 in), not progressing to thepole vault final.[7]
Although she jumped 4.70 m (15 ft 5 in) at age 37, her 4.55 m (14 ft 11 in) vault at age 38 in 2009 was the ratifiedW35 Masters World Record until 2017.
In 2014, she was elected to theNational Track and Field Hall of Fame.[8] A combined high school/collegiate indoor track and field invitational, the Stacy Dragila Open, is held annually at Idaho State University.
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | World Indoor Championships | Paris, France | 1st | Pole vault |
| 1999 | World Championships | Seville, Spain | 1st | Pole vault |
| 2000 | Olympic Games | Sydney, Australia | 1st | Pole vault |
| 2001 | World Championships | Edmonton, Alberta | 1st | Pole vault |
| 2001 | Goodwill Games | Brisbane, Australia | 1st | Pole vault |
| 2003 | World Athletics Final | Fontvieille, Monaco | 1st | Pole vault |
| 2004 | World Indoor Championships | Budapest,Hungary | 2nd | Pole vault |
† The 1996 contest was a non-championship event
Stacy divorced Brent Dragila in 2006.[9]
She lived inSan Diego, California, and is the founder of Altius Track Club.
Stacy now lives inBoise, Idaho, where she owns and coaches at a premier indoor/outdoor pole vault facility, Dragila Vault Co.[10]
She married American discus throwerIan Waltz and welcomed daughter Allyx (an alternative spelling of the standard 'Alex') Josephine Waltz on June 21, 2010.[2]
| Records | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Women's pole vault world record holder August 21, 1999 – July 13, 2003 | Succeeded by |
| Awards | ||
| Preceded by | Women's Track & Field Athlete of the Year 2001 | Succeeded by |
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