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Hooker wins with new PB at Berlin Golden League
Telstra A-Series IAAF World Athletics Tour - Steve Hooker - Mens Pole Vault
4 September 2006 | 7.41am
Commonwealth Games champion Steven Hooker has provided himself with the perfect lead in to this weekend's World Athletics Final in Stuttgart with a magnificent victory and personal best in the pole vault at the IAAF Golden League meeting in Berlin.
His first time clearance at 5.96m not only set a new personal best, but in bizarre circumstances, Hooker, who is using new poles that he has waited all season to arrive, actually thought he had cleared the magical six metre barrier.
Hooker now takes his confidence and form into two of the biggest potential paydays of his career, with US$30,000 on offer for wins in his next two outings – this weekend’s World Athletics Final in Stuttgart, Germany, and the IAAF World Cup Final in Athens, Greece the following weekend.
At Berlin’s Olympic stadium, the venue for the FIFA World Cup final earlier in the year, Hooker reigned supreme.
"After 5.91m, the three of us still in the competition went to the judges and told them we wanted to go to 6.01m. They even put the marks in the boxes on the score sheet to show we had all passed 5.96m."
"When I cleared the bar I was ecstatic - sure I had won and not only had I collected a PB, but over 6 metres for the first time. I went over to Alex (coach Alex Parnov) celebrated and decided with him that I would go to 6.05 next. It was only then I looked around and noticed that the scoreboard was showing Paul having his second attempt at 5.96m."
"I didn't know what to think. I still knew I was in front and in a great position to win, but instantly I wasn't the six metre jumper I thought I had just become."
"It was all a bit odd after that. They cancelled Paul's and Brad's attempts at 5.96m and we all attempted 6.01m - unsuccessfully."
With 5.96m confirmed, his two main opponents throughout this season – training partner and countryman Paul Burgess and American Brad Walker, along with Hooker, embarked on what proved to be a fruitless effort to clear 6.01m. Burgess finishing second on a count back for an Australian 1-2 finish after clearing 5.91m. Walker, with a best clearance of 5.71m settled for 5th behind German Danny Ecker’s best of 5.81m.
"But I know I should be happy with what I achieved today - and I am. It was an aggressive competition and I really wanted to jump high. The new poles came in handy - I used one on my 5.96m clearance," Hooker said.
It was Hooker's first Golden League win and his fourth victory on the IAAF World Tour this year, having previously won in Melbourne in March and then in Heusden (Belgium) and Helsinki in July.
The two Australians now advance to Saturday's World Athletics Tour Final in the top two placings on the IAAF points table, with Burgess taking the number one spot by four points, after a Victory in the Golden League in Rome and courtesy of a third placing in the Athens Super Grand Prix, a meet which Hooker missed with a back injury.
Not that those positions or points will matter in the final, with all previous performances set aside and results on the day determining all – including the US$30,000 first prize on offer in all events.
The Berlin competition produced an almost flawless display from Hooker, missing only once - at his first attempt at 5.91m, prior to the exit height.
But Burgess was far from disgraced, narrowly failing to match his compatriot, who last week pipped him for selection in the Oceania team for the World Cup in Athens in a fortnight's time.
The two have been almost impossible to separate as the European circuit has reached its climax, tying for second in Zurich before clearing the same height for a Hooker win on count back last weekend in Rieti (Italy).
Yesterday former world junior champion Burgess took two attempts to clear the bar at each of 5.61m, 5.81m and 5.91m, meaning he was always behind his training partner on a count back.
Earlier they'd shown Burgess with two misses at 5.96, but now it shows him passing at 5.96 and having three misses at 6.01.