WAF Startlists

[rainbowgirl28]

Pole Vault
1 Burgess, Paul AUS
2 Hooker, Steven AUS
3 Walker, Brad USA
4 Stevenson, Toby USA
5 Schulze, Fabian GER
6 Lobinger, Tim GER
7 Sawano, Daichi JPN
WC Börgeling, Lars GER

Pole Vault
1 Isinbaeva, Yelena RUS
2 Pyrek, Monika POL
3 Murer, Fabiana BRA
4 Stuczynski, Jennifer USA
5 Howe, Kym AUS
6 Grigorieva, Tatiana AUS
7 Feofanova, Svetlana RUS
WC Spiegelburg, Silke GER

[rainbowgirl28]

http://www.iaaf.org/WAF06/news/Kind=2/newsId=36088.html

Pole Vault

Commonwealth Champion Steve Hooker and Rome winner Paul Burgess lead a powerful Australian 1-2 punch against the likely German trio of Fabian Schulze, Tim Lobinger and Lars Borgeling.

The winner in Heusden, Helsinki and Berlin, the 24-year-old Hooker raised his personal best to 5.96 in Berlin’s Olympic Stadium last Sunday, and came close to sailing over the six metre barrier as well. Burgess, already a member of the event’s six metre club, has a season’s best of 5.92 from early July, and came close to that in Berlin where he scaled 5.91 to finish second to Hooker.

Lobinger has clearances of 5.90 and 5.85 to his credit this summer, Stuttgart native Schulze has leaped 5.81 and Borgeling 5.80, collectively mounting a fine home turf defence in Stuttgart.

Among the most consistent vaulters this year however has been World Indoor champion Brad Walker of the U.S., who became the latest member of the six metre fraternity in July. He notched three successive victories in August - Zurich, Birmingham and Rieti - bringing solid momentum to his WAF title defence.

Others in the mix include American Toby Stevenson, who has three wins to his credit this summer and a season’s best 5.81, and Japanese record holder Daichi Sawano.


Pole Vault

If Yelena Isinbayeva has proven anything this year, it’s that she can’t necessarily raise her own World record at will. Such are the downfalls when total domination of an event becomes synonymous with one’s name. Still adjusting to technical changes this year, the Russian even suffered a rare defeat, finishing second in Stockholm on the countback to Poland’s Monica Pyrek. Yet Isinbayeva has produced the year’s five best clearances, topped by her 4.91 in London, and is the clear favourite to repeat her win from a year ago.

With Isinbayeva the clear No. 1, Pyrek has produced the goods to be the clear No. 2. Only once has she finished lower than second in a competition this year, while improving her personal best to 4.75.

Making a big leap forward this year was Brazilian Fabiana Murer. In Monaco, she secured the win with a 4.66 South American record, and matched that five days later in Brussels where she finished second to Isinbayeva.

Jen Stuczynski appears well on her way of assuming the mantle as the top American in the event. After taking the U.S. title in June, the 24-year-old produced a pair of 4.65 clearances and improved to 4.66 in Birmingham.

Germany’s 20-year-old Silke Spiegelburg, who was sixth at the European Championships before improving her personal best to 4.56 in Monaco, is the Wild Card entrant.

[patchdoggydogg]

Hi, I am here in Stuttgart at the press center where the mens vault will start at 1:35 pm. Looks like a nice day here at the Daimlerstadion, around 18 degrees celsius at 10 am.

Progressions are 550, 565, 575, 582, 587, 592, 597, 602.

Saw Brad Walker in the lobby of the athletes hotel, and he's looking forward to battling the Aussies this afternoon.

Hope to give some updates as the afternoon progresses.