Steven Hooker closing in on legendary Bubka record
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AFP
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Şubat 09, 2009 00:00
BOSTON - Australia's Olympic pole vault gold medallist Steven Hooker soared 6.06m at the Boston Indoor Games Saturday, becoming the second-best performer all-time indoors behind Ukrainian Sergey Bubka.
Hooker, who won Olympic gold with a height of 5.96m, cleared 6.06 on his third attempt, then launched an assault on Bubka's 16-year-old world record of 6.15m. Hooker put the bar at 6.16, but as at the Millrose Games in New York on January 31, could not clear it.
In New York, Hooker cleared 6.01, and with his 6.06 on Saturday, the Aussie surpassed Radion Gataullin and Jeff Hartwig on the indoor all-time list, both with vaults of 6.02. Hooker's bid at 6.16 included a run-through and two close misses.
"On the third attempt, I cleared it with my hips, but came down with my chest and arms. You have to get everything over, unfortunately. One of these days it's going to happen," said Hooker, who continues his round-the-world tour in Europe next week. "I just need to make a few slight adjustments, and get into more meets."
Americans Derek Miles (5.72) and Darren Neidermeyer (5.52) provided Hooker's only serious competition. Hooker thanked the Boston crowd, who were enthusiastically behind his bid to reach the Reggie Lewis Center rafters.
’Come out and perform well again’
"I'm most happy that I was able to come out and perform well again," he said. "I'm going out on big poles and making big jumps. There's only going to take so many attempts until it works out." The women's pole vault was also a scintillating affair as American Jennifer Stuczynski, the Olympic silver medallist, became the third all-time performer indoors behind Russians Yelena Isinbaeva and Svetlana Feofanova as she cleared 4.82m.
Like Hooker, she failed with bar set at one centimeter above the world record, Isinbaeva's 4.95m, but set an American record as she broke Stacy Dragila's previous mark of 4.81.
There was drama in the women's 5,000m as well as Ethiopia's Sentayehu Ejigu and America's Shalane Flanagan waged a wire-to-wire duel that saw both clocked in a world-leading 14:47.62.
Only the photo-timer could separate the pair, with Ejigu getting the nod by five-thousandths of a second.
"I thought I had her at the end, I really did," said Flanagan, the Olympic bronze medalist at 5,000 meters. "But I guess the photo said otherwise."
New Zealand's Nick Willis came up with 2009 season's best with a 3:53.54 mile romp over Pablo Solares of Mexico (3:54.52) and USA's Chris Lukezic (3:56.04).
Former US collegiate star Lindsey Gallo ran the fastest women's mile in the world this year, 4:27.90, to turn the tables on Ethiopia's Mestawot Tadfesse (4:28.18) and Aussie Sarah Jamieson (4:29.47). America's Shalonda Solomon posted a world leading time in the women's 200m, winning in 23.17.
In New York, Hooker cleared 6.01, and with his 6.06 on Saturday, the Aussie surpassed Radion Gataullin and Jeff Hartwig on the indoor all-time list, both with vaults of 6.02. Hooker's bid at 6.16 included a run-through and two close misses.
"On the third attempt, I cleared it with my hips, but came down with my chest and arms. You have to get everything over, unfortunately. One of these days it's going to happen," said Hooker, who continues his round-the-world tour in Europe next week. "I just need to make a few slight adjustments, and get into more meets."
Americans Derek Miles (5.72) and Darren Neidermeyer (5.52) provided Hooker's only serious competition. Hooker thanked the Boston crowd, who were enthusiastically behind his bid to reach the Reggie Lewis Center rafters.
’Come out and perform well again’
"I'm most happy that I was able to come out and perform well again," he said. "I'm going out on big poles and making big jumps. There's only going to take so many attempts until it works out." The women's pole vault was also a scintillating affair as American Jennifer Stuczynski, the Olympic silver medallist, became the third all-time performer indoors behind Russians Yelena Isinbaeva and Svetlana Feofanova as she cleared 4.82m.
Like Hooker, she failed with bar set at one centimeter above the world record, Isinbaeva's 4.95m, but set an American record as she broke Stacy Dragila's previous mark of 4.81.
There was drama in the women's 5,000m as well as Ethiopia's Sentayehu Ejigu and America's Shalane Flanagan waged a wire-to-wire duel that saw both clocked in a world-leading 14:47.62.
Only the photo-timer could separate the pair, with Ejigu getting the nod by five-thousandths of a second.
"I thought I had her at the end, I really did," said Flanagan, the Olympic bronze medalist at 5,000 meters. "But I guess the photo said otherwise."
New Zealand's Nick Willis came up with 2009 season's best with a 3:53.54 mile romp over Pablo Solares of Mexico (3:54.52) and USA's Chris Lukezic (3:56.04).
Former US collegiate star Lindsey Gallo ran the fastest women's mile in the world this year, 4:27.90, to turn the tables on Ethiopia's Mestawot Tadfesse (4:28.18) and Aussie Sarah Jamieson (4:29.47). America's Shalonda Solomon posted a world leading time in the women's 200m, winning in 23.17.