Serhiy Nazarovych Bubka (Ukrainian:Сергій Назарович Бубка;Serhiy Nazarovych Bubka; born 4 December 1963) is a Ukrainian formerpole vaulter. He represented the Soviet Union until its dissolution in 1991. Bubka was twice named Athlete of the Year byTrack & Field News,[3] and in 2012 was one of 24 athletes inducted as inaugural members of theInternational Association of Athletics Federations Hall of Fame.[4]
Bubka won six consecutive IAAF World Championships, an Olympic gold medal, and broke theworld record for men's pole vault 35 times.[5] He was the first pole vaulter to clear 6.0 meters and 6.10 meters.[6][7]
He held the indoor world record of 6.15 meters, set on 21 February 1993 inDonetsk, Ukraine[8] for almost 21 years until France'sRenaud Lavillenie cleared 6.16 meters on February 15, 2014, at thesame meet in thesame arena.[9] He held the outdoor world record at 6.14 meters between July 31, 1994,[10] and September 17, 2020.[11]
Born inLuhansk, Sergey Nazarovych Bubka was a track-and-field athlete in the 100-meter dash and the long jump, but became a world-class champion only when he turned to the pole vault. In 1983, he won the world championship inHelsinki, Finland, and the following year set his first world record, clearing 5.85 m (19 ft 2 in). Until the dissolution of the USSR in late 1991, Bubka competed for Soviet teams. By 1992, he was no longer bound to the Soviet system, and signed a contract withNike.[12] that rewarded each world record performance with special bonuses of $40,000.[13]
His son,Sergei Bubka is a former professional tennis player.
From 2002 to 2006, Bubka was a member of the UkrainianVerkhovna Rada with theParty of Regions group and until 2014 an advisor toViktor Yanukovych.[14] He was on the youth policy, physical culture, sport and tourism committee while a MVR.[15]
Bubka has been linked to business conducted in Ukraine’s Russian-occupied territories. On 5 March 2022, Bubka professed his love for his homeland after the2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, and declared: "Ukraine will win".[16]
Sergey Bubka started competing on the international athletics scene in 1981 when he participated in theEuropean Junior Championship finishing seventh. But the1983 World Championship held inHelsinki was his actual entry point to the world athletics, where a relatively unknown Bubka snatched the gold, clearing 5.70 meters (18 feet 8 inches).[citation needed] The years that followed witnessed the unparalleled dominance of Bubka, with him setting new records and standards in pole vaulting.
He set his first world record of 5.85m on 26 May 1984 which he improved to 5.88m a week later, and then to 5.90m a month later. He cleared 6.00 meters (19 feet 8 inches) for the first time on 13 July 1985 inParis.[7] Bubka improved his own record over the next 10 years until he reached his career best and the then world record of 6.14 m (20 feet 13⁄4 inches) in 1994. He vaulted onUCS Spirit poles throughout his later career.[17][18]
He became the first athlete ever to jump over 6.10 meters, inSan Sebastián,Spain in 1991. Bubka increased the world record by 21 centimeters (8 inches) in the period from 1984 to 1994. He cleared 6.00 meters or better on 45 occasions.[19]
Bubka officially retired from pole vault in 2001 during a ceremony at hisPole Vault Stars meeting inDonetsk.[20]
The first Olympics after Bubka's introduction to the international athletics was held in 1984 and wasboycotted by the USSR along with the majority of otherEastern Bloc countries. In 1988 Bubka competed in theSeoul Olympics and won his only Olympic gold medal clearing 5.90 meters. In 1992 he failed to clear in his first three attempts (5.70, 5.70, 5.75 meters) and was out of theBarcelona Olympics. At theAtlanta Olympics in 1996, a heel injury caused him to withdraw from the competition without any attempts. In 2000 at theSydney Olympics, he was eliminated from the final after three unsuccessful attempts at 5.70 meters.[21]
Bubka broke the world record for men's pole vault 35 times during his career.[5] He broke theoutdoor world record 17 times and theindoor world record 18 times. Bubka lost his outdoor world record only once in his career. AfterThierry Vigneron, of France, broke his record on August 31, 1984 at the Golden Gala international track meet inRome, Bubka subsequently reclaimed the record on his next attempt on the same runway minutes later.[22]
Bubka gripped the pole higher than most vaulters to get extra leverage, though Bubka himself played down the effect of grip alone.[23]
His development of thePetrov/Bubka technical model is also considered a key to his success.[24] The Petrov/Bubka model allows the vaulter to continuously put energy into the pole while rising towards the bar.[citation needed] Most conventional models focus on creating maximum bend in the pole before leaving the ground, by planting the pole heavily in the pole vault box. The Petrov/Bubka model follows the technique used byKjell Isaksson,[25][26][27][28] which concentrates on driving the pole up, rather than bending it while planting it on the landing pad, combined with high running speed. While the traditional models depended on the recoil by bending the pole, the Petrov/Bubka model may exploit the recoil of the pole and exert more energy on the pole during the swinging action.[citation needed]
^Ebbetts, Russ (Winter 2020)."TECHNIQUE V. STYLE"(PDF).TrackandFieldNews.com. Track & Field News. Retrieved9 September 2023.In reality a technical model can be a simple concept. Generally speaking, there is a "right way or wrong way" to do things. Where it gets fuzzy is with the varying schools of thought, gurus and programs that may champion technical nuances that identify "their brand" of shot putting, pole vaulting or whatever.
Men's Pole Vault Indoor World Record Holder 15 January – 4 March 1984 15–17 January 1986 8 February 1986 21 February 1986 – 22 January 1989 11 February 1989 – 15 February 2014
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