Steve Lewis Pre-Olymic Articles

[rainbowgirl28]

http://www.athleticsweekly.com/news/lew ... lt-record/


Lewis breaks British pole vault record
Steven Lewis clears 5.82m to break long-standing UK record in the pole vault

Posted on July 22, 2012 by Jon Mulkeen

Breaking the British pole vault record had long been one of Steve Lewis’s goals, and tonight in the Polish city of Szczecin he finally achieved it.

Competing at the Janusz Kusociński Memorial, Lewis opened at 5.52m – 12 centimetres higher than his best jump from the rain-soaked London Grand Prix last week – and went clear first time at 5.72m, equalling his outdoor season’s best.

He was already in the lead, but sealed the victory as the bar went up to 5.82m, clearing it on his second attempt to set a British record.

Previously, the best ever vault achieved by a British athlete was the 5.81m indoor clearance achieved by Nick Buckfield 10 years ago. Buckfield also held the UK outdoor record at 5.80m, set back in 1998.

But more impressive than the record itself was Lewis’s victory over an extremely high-quality field. He defeated world champion Pawel Wojciechowski (eighth with 5.42m), Olympic champion Steve Hooker (third with 5.72m), US champion Brad Walker (second with 5.72m), German champion Malte Mohr (no-heighted at 5.42m) and world indoor and two-time European champion Renaud Lavillenie (no-heighted at 5.62m).

As his final competition before heading to the Team GB preparation camp in Portugal ahead of the London Olympics, Lewis’s confidence-boosting performance couldn’t have come at a better time. His 5.82m currently ranks him fifth in the world, but tonight he defeated three of the athletes who rank ahead of him.

Lewis, a two-time Commonwealth medallist, has made the past two World Championship finals, finishing seventh in 2009 and ninth in 2011. Indoors he was sixth at the 2010 World Indoor Championships, and earlier this year he achieved his best ever finish at a global championships by finishing fifth at the World Indoors.

But at the last Olympics in Beijing, Lewis no-heighted in the qualifying round and he will be keen to make amends at the London 2012 Games.

Tonight’s competition was also significant for Hooker. Between 2008 and 2010 the Australian was the world’s leading pole vaulter, winning gold at the Olympics, World Championships and World Indoors, as well as clearing 6.06m – a height that only world record-holder Sergey Bubka has ever bettered.

But over the past 12 months Hooker has suffered from a case of ‘the yips’, completely losing his confidence in vaulting. In his first three competitions of this year, he cleared just 4.40m, 5.00m and 5.00m.

During the summer he has no-heighted at three of his competitions on the circuit and has finished no higher than sixth in his other three appearances with a season’s best of 5.42m.

His 5.72m clearance tonight puts him tentatively back in the frame as an Olympic contender. It’s not inconceivable that he could turn things around in time for the Games.

Back in 2009 he picked up an injury before the World Championships and was a major doubt, but such was his mental strength he managed to get through qualifiying and then won gold in the final off the back of just two jumps – one failure at 5.85m and a first-time clearance at 5.90m.

[rainbowgirl28]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/olympi ... ecord.html

Lewis celebrates perfect send-off after setting new British pole vault record
By SPORTSMAIL REPORTER
PUBLISHED: 09:53 EST, 22 July 2012 | UPDATED: 12:05 EST, 22 July 2012

Steve Lewis will join his team-mates in their pre-Olympic training camp on a real high after breaking the 14-year-old British pole vault record.

Lewis cleared 5.82 metres on Saturday night at a star-studded meeting in Poland, surpassing the previous mark of 5.80m set by Nick Buckfield in 1998.

'I have been ready to jump high for the last couple of weeks and finding a competition with good conditions has been tough,' Lewis said.

'Last night was not great winds but dry, so I took the opportunity to test my London pole selection; turns out it's pretty good!

'Jumping 5.82m has been a goal of mine for four years. To achieve it in my last competition before the Olympic Games is amazing. I am excited to join all my team-mates now in Portugal and start preparing for the Games.

'It's going to be a big three weeks physically, mentally and emotionally. I can't wait!'

Lewis cleared 5.82m at the second attempt, despite clipping the bar, to leave current world champion Pawel Wojciechowski (8th), Olympic champion Steve Hooker (3rd) and 2007 world champion Brad Walker (2nd) trailing in his wake.

Only four men have gone higher than Lewis in 2012, with one of them - European champion Renaud Lavillenie - failing to record a height on Saturday.

[fishman4god]

That is actually very cool, ..........................the plot thickens for the Olympic men's comp! Gotta love the Olympics