Brad Walker Pre-Olympic Articles

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World champ Walker ready for risks, pain of pole vault
7 hours ago
BEIJING (AFP) — Reigning world champion Brad Walker knows the rewards of risk in the pole vault, but has also fought through the pain to put himself in position to claim Olympic gold.
Walker, a 27-year-old American with a 2008 world-best of 6.04 meters, is a favorite in the August 22 final, where Australian Steve Hooker and Russia's Yevgeniy Lukyanenko are among those expected to challenge him for the crown.
After clearing his personal best in June at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Oregon, Walker took aim at Ukranian Sergey Bubka's 1994 world record of 6.14m, but could not clear 6.16.
"I don't think I've given 6.16 the kind of look I can give it," Walker said. "The more experience I have looking at 6.16, the better off I will be in the long run going after it."
Walker was third at the US Olympic trials, struggling with windy conditions but good enough to make the team for Beijing.
"I am really confident jumping in bad conditions like rain and wind," he said. "Sometimes you get the luck of the draw."
There are times, however, where fortune favors the competitor who throws caution to the wind. The person who is willing to risk the most is able to come out with the best jump.
"Running in there without second guessing yourself, without being worried about what bad things could happen, opens up mentally some new doors and some good things can come out."
There are some down sides to that idea. Walker's back feels the pain from years of twisting his body over higher and higher bars.
"There's just a lot of lower back strain that goes through our bodies," Walker said. "Our backs take a good beating. I don't think I'm ever going to be totally pain-free in my lower back."
Walker won the 2006 world indoor crown and finished second to Lukyanenko at 5.90 at this year's world indoors in Valencia despite setting a personal indoor best of 5.85 in the meet. Hooker was third on 5.80.
Last year, Walker captured the World Athletics Final and had the world best for 2007 of 5.85 set at Brisbane.