| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Michael Scott Tully |
| Born | October 21, 1956 (1956-10-21) (age 69) Long Beach, California, U.S. |
Michael Scott Tully (born October 21, 1956) is an Americanpole vaulter. He represented the United States twice in the Olympics, earning a silver in 1984, and held the American pole vault record from 1984 to 1985.
Born inLong Beach, California,[1] he went to college atUCLA and was theNCAA champion in the pole vault in 1978 with a height of 5.53 metres.[2] He won three national titles in 1977, 1979 and 1986.[3] He also took theAAA Championships in 1976 and 1979 and the French championship in 1977.[4][5]
He enjoyed great success at theMt. SAC Relays, winning four pole vault titles, each at a meet record height. His last victory came at a height exactly one foot higher than the first. He also holds the distinction of being the first vaulter to clear 18 feet in the competition. His efforts earned him the honor of induction into the Mt. SAC relays hall of fame in 1994.[6]
Tully won the first two World Cup competitions, the1977 and1979 IAAF World Cup.[7] He qualified for the 1980 U.S. Olympic team but was unable to compete due to the1980 Summer Olympics boycott. Tully did however receive one of 461Congressional Gold Medals created especially for the spurned athletes.[8] He competed at the1983 World Championships without registering a valid mark.[9] In a one-month period in 1984 he raised theAmerican record three times by a total of almost three inches.[citation needed] He concluded the season with a silver medal at the1984 Olympic Games.[1] He took the American record fromJeff Buckingham,[10] but his national record was broken in 1985.
At the Pan American Games he won gold medals in1983 and1987 Pan American Games, both times with championship records, first 5.45 metres then 5.71 metres.[11] He also finished fourth at the1986 Goodwill Games.[12]
| Sporting positions | ||
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| Preceded by | Season's best performance, men's pole vault 1978 | Succeeded by |
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