Hysong Finally Healthy

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http://www.iaaf.org/news/Kind=2/newsId=25037.html

Fit again! Hysong looks forward to Olympic title defence
Friday 30 April 2004


Nick Hysong is back on track in his quest to become the first man since Bob Richards 48 years ago to retain the Olympic Pole Vault title after recovering from two and a half years of injury torment.


Sydney surprise

The American athlete provided a shock when winning the Olympic title in Sydney, as despite coming fourth equal at the World Championships in Seville the previous summer, he had never previously finished higher than second in the US Championships.

In 2001 Hysong again performed well when it counted, claiming the bronze medal at the World Championships in Edmonton.

Persistent injury


However, since then he has struggled to reproduce his Olympic form because of persistent knee problems.

He underwent an operation on his right knee for a bone spur and tendon problem two years ago but continued to encounter pain.
He failed to make last summer’s US World Championship team in Paris and had to frustratingly sit and watch as Italian Giuseppe Gibilisco ‘did a Hysong’ by coming from nowhere to win a major championship gold medal with 5.90m – exactly the same height Hysong achieved to strike gold in Sydney.

“It was hard to sit and watch,â€Â