PoleVaultPower.com

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/sports/9043502.htm

GENETICS?

The name on the scoreboard beside Court 9 was hard to miss -- Bubka, S., as in Sergei Bubka, as in son of the greatest pole vaulter of all time. Bubka, 17, is a rising junior tennis player from Ukraine, and this was his first Wimbledon.

He made it to the second round, before losing 6-1, 7-6 on Tuesday to Jamie Baker of Great Britain. No, Bubka didn't hurdle over the net when the match was done, and wouldn't have even if he had won.

''Tennis has always been my sport,'' Bubka said. ``I tried to vault once for fun, when I was 12, and I didn't come close to clearing the bar.''

He says having a famous athlete as a father is sometimes a burden.

''People have higher expectations when you have a father so successful in sports like I have,'' he said. ``If I had a father with a normal job, nobody would be talking about me.''

But there are benefits to having a six-time world champion in your household. Bubka got to travel to several world championships and the 1992 Olympics. And he gets advice only a world-class athlete could offer.

''Even though we are in different sports, my father gives me advice about how to win, how to lose, how not to make the same mistakes,'' he said.

Unfortunately, Bubka said, his father was unable to attend Tuesday's match. He was busy with the international track federation, of which he is an officer. Bubka, Sr., was also elected to the Ukrainian parliament shortly after his retirement in 2000.

yup, its got to be the genetics!

That's good stuff. I'd like to see another Bubka dominate a different sport. No sense in trying to make his son be like him. . .that's asking for quite a bit.

http://sport.guardian.co.uk/wimbledon20 ... 60,00.html

Son also rises but Bubka avoids career at the bar

Stuart James
Friday July 2, 2004
The Guardian

If parental success is a benchmark for a child's own aspirations then the bar could not have been set any higher for Sergei Bubka Jr. However, rather than pole-vault over it, as his father did with great success - breaking the world record 35 times and winning six consecutive world championships - the 17-year-old Ukrainian has opted to search for sporting acclaim on the tennis court.

Bubka, who speaks fluent English, has been taking part in junior Wimbledon, competing in both the singles and doubles events, but he is already under no illusions about the manifold expectations that come with his famous name.

"There is some pressure and it's not easy because everybody realises that you are the son, especially when you have the same first name as him," he said. "The first thing that comes into people's minds is 'Oh you are the son'. It's not easy but I have got used to it."

Much of Bubka's youth has been spent in Monte Carlo, where his family relocated when he was seven years old to escape the turbulent political climate at home. "It wasn't easy to live in the Ukraine at the time and everybody tried to move out. The conditions especially for my father weren't very good to practise, so going abroad was essential," he said.

The natural progression for Bubka would have been to follow in his father's footsteps, but he says tennis was always at the forefront of his mind. "I just liked it since the beginning and my dream since I was really small was to be a tennis player," he said. "Most of the kids were playing for fun but I wanted to be a tennis player and athletics never got into my mind."

Furthermore, Bubka insists his father, who is a member of the Ukraine parliament and also works for the IAAF and IOC, was not disappointed by his decision to pursue a career in tennis. "My father was happy that I went into tennis. He didn't push me into pole vaulting or tennis; it was my choice.

"He's very supportive and he tries to help me when he can. But he doesn't come to watch me too often because he's very busy, probably even busier than when he was competing."

Although Bubka has no ambitions of propelling himself six metres in the air, he is eager to replicate his father's work ethic. "My father's mind was so strong, stronger than most. It's hard to be like him but I always try to give my best to be like him."

Although Bubka senior's achievements in track and field are recognised the world over, his son admits, somewhat surprisingly, that it was not until he competed in a junior tennis tournament in Australia last year that he realised the true magnitude of his father's profile.

"So many journalists were there because it was the first time that people realised that I played tennis," he said. "It was unbelievable. I always knew he was famous but this was like 'whoaa!'"

The teenage Bubka's first visit to Wimbledon has been tinged with disappointment on the court. Although he is still challenging for the doubles title, his pursuit of the singles crown came to an abrupt halt at the hands of Britain's Jamie Baker in the second round.

The defeat, however, has not prevented Bubka from developing a special affection for the All England Club. "It's great, and now I see why it's considered one of the best tournaments in the world."

hey becca, is there a pic of bubka jr.? i can't find one and just wanted to see how alike they are.

blazerunner121 wrote:hey becca, is there a pic of bubka jr.? i can't find one and just wanted to see how alike they are.

I haven't seen any.

google

(wait a few seconds)



(sorry jodie's mom...i cleaned it up a bit)

Ha Becca, your filter doesn't work on website links? I usually just use regular google...

theres another one here you just have to scroll down a little
http://www001.upp.so-net.ne.jp/dhbvg87/Gallery211-3.htm

whoa, bubka jr. looks

http://www.noticias.info/asp/aspComunic ... 7962&src=0

WIMBLEDON: Bubka Falls at First Hurdle
/noticias.info/ In the first round of the Boys' Singles, Dusan Lojda of the Czech Republic has vaulted past Sergei Bubka in straight sets 6-4, 6-4.

Ukrainian Bubka is the the eponymous son of the Olympic pole-vaulting champion who was the first man to break the 6 metre barrier. In the 1980s Bubka senior collected a haul of 35 pole vault records, six world titles and an Olympic gold. Bubka junior tried pole vaulting but found greater talent for tennis and in this competition is the 7th seed.

Both tall teenagers are big servers and play with two-handed backhands. Of the pair Bubka, has performed better this year, reaching the semi-finals at the Australian Open Juniors' and the quarter-finals at Roland Garros. Left handed Lojda, ranked 22, was put out in the round of 16 at the Australian Open.

Wild card entrant Lojda struggled more with his serve in the early games, yet managed to make it count to avoid losing his serve. He found his rhythm in his third service game and more as he broke the next Bubka serve and held his own to take the first set.

After an early break in the second set by beach-blonde Lojda, Bubka failed to offer enough resistance, although he did claim back a second broken service game. But Lojda was able to take advantage on his own service game to win the match with some ease.

Bubka SR knows a thing or two about tennis as well...

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u ... 532520.jpg

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u ... 984690.jpg