Note: Single-source report; awaiting corroboration.
The pole vault is a track and field event where an athlete sprints along a runway, plants a flexible pole against a stop board, and launches over a horizontal bar set at varying heights, typically around 4.5 metres. Poles are usually made from carbon fibre or fibreglass to provide the necessary flexibility and strength for vaulting.
The event's history dates back to Ancient Greece, where competitors aimed to vault the greatest distance. The first height-based modern competition took place in Lancashire, England in 1843, with the format later adopted by a German gymnastics association in the 1850s. Early poles were crafted from ash or hickory wood with iron spikes; bamboo poles came into use by 1857, steel poles in the 1940s, and flexible composite materials such as fibreglass and carbon fibre became common from the late 1950s onward.
Men's pole vault has featured at every modern Olympic Games since 1896, with the United States winning every title except in 1906. Women’s pole vault debuted as an Olympic event in 2000 when USA’s Stacy Dragila won gold.
The first official women's pole vault world record was set by Sun Caiyun of China in 1992, recognized by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) in 1994. Before this, American vaulter Ruth Spencer set multiple pre-IAAF records starting in 1910. Other milestones include Mildred Carl breaking 2.00 m in 1915, Irene Spieker surpassing 3.00 m in 1979, and Jana Edwards clearing 3.50 m in 1983. The first woman to clear 4.00 m was Zhang Chunzen in 1991. Later world record progressions were dominated by Daniela Bártová, Emma George, Stacy Dragila, and Yelena Isinbayeva. Notably, George was the first to reach 4.50 m in 1997, and Isinbayeva's 5.00 m vault in 2005 revolutionized the sport. The current women's world record is 5.06 m, set by Isinbayeva in 2009.
The first official men's pole vault world record recognized by the IAAF was set by Marc Wright of the United States in 1912.