Sergey Nazarovych Bubka (Ukrainian: Сергій Назарович Бубка; Serhiy Nazarovych Bubka; born 4 December 1963) is a Ukrainian former pole vaulter. He represented the Soviet Union until its dissolution in 1991. Bubka was twice named Athlete of the Year by Track & Field News,[3] and in 2012 was one of 24 athletes inducted as inaugural members of the International Association of Athletics Federations Hall of Fame.[4]
Bubka won six consecutive IAAF World Championships, an Olympic gold medal, and broke the world record for men's pole vault 35 times.[5] He was the first pole vaulter to clear 6.0 meters and 6.10 meters.[6][7]
He held the indoor world record of 6.15 meters, set on 21 February 1993 in Donetsk, Ukraine[8] for almost 21 years until France's Renaud Lavillenie cleared 6.16 meters on February 15, 2014, at the same meet in the same arena.[9] He held the outdoor world record at 6.14 meters between July 31, 1994,[10] and September 17, 2020.[11]
Bubka is Senior Vice President of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), serving since 2007, and served as President of the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine from 2005 to November 2022. He is also an Honorary Member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), having been involved since 1996. His older brother, Vasiliy Bubka, was also a medal-winning pole vaulter.
Biography
editBorn in Luhansk, Sergey Nazarovych Bubka was a track-and-field athlete in the 100-meter dash and the long jump, but became a world-class champion only when he turned to the pole vault. In 1983, he won the world championship in Helsinki, Finland, and the following year set his first world record, clearing 5.85m (19 ft 2 in). Until the dissolution of the USSR in late 1991, Bubka competed for Soviet teams. By 1992, he was no longer bound to the Soviet system, and signed a contract with Nike.[12] that rewarded each world record performance with special bonuses of $40,000.[13]
His son, Sergei Bubka (tennis) is a former professional tennis player.
From 2002 to 2006, Bubka was a member of the Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada with the Party of Regions group and until 2014 an advisor to Viktor Yanukovych.[14] He was on the youth policy, physical culture, sport and tourism committee while a MVR.[15]
Bubka has been linked to business conducted in Ukraine’s Russian-occupied territories. On 5 March 2022, Bubka professed his love for his homeland after the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, and declared: "Ukraine will win".[16]
Sporting career
editSergey Bubka started competing on the international athletics scene in 1981 when he participated in the European Junior Championship finishing seventh. But the 1983 World Championship held in Helsinki was his actual entry point to the world athletics, where a relatively unknown Bubka snatched the gold, clearing 5.70 meters (18 feet 8 inches).[citation needed] The years that followed witnessed the unparalleled dominance of Bubka, with him setting new records and standards in pole vaulting.
He set his first world record of 5.85m on 26 May 1984 which he improved to 5.88m a week later, and then to 5.90m a month later. He cleared 6.00 meters (19 feet 8 inches) for the first time on 13 July 1985 in Paris.[7] Bubka improved his own record over the next 10 years until he reached his career best and the then world record of 6.14 m (20 feet 13⁄4 inches) in 1994. He vaulted on UCS Spirit poles throughout his later career.[17][18]
He became the first athlete ever to jump over 6.10 meters, in San Sebastián, Spain in 1991. Bubka increased the world record by 21 centimeters (8 inches) in the period from 1984 to 1994. He cleared 6.00 meters or better on 45 occasions.[19]
Bubka officially retired from pole vault in 2001 during a ceremony at his Pole Vault Stars meeting in Donetsk.[20]
Olympics curse
editThe first Olympics after Bubka's introduction to the international athletics was held in 1984 and was boycotted by the USSR along with the majority of other Eastern Bloc countries. In 1988 Bubka competed in the Seoul Olympics and won his only Olympic gold medal clearing 5.90 meters. In 1992 he failed to clear in his first three attempts (5.70, 5.70, 5.75 meters) and was out of the Barcelona Olympics. At the Atlanta Olympics in 1996, a heel injury caused him to withdraw from the competition without any attempts. In 2000 at the Sydney Olympics, he was eliminated from the final after three unsuccessful attempts at 5.70 meters.[21]
IAAF World championships
editBubka won the pole vault event in six consecutive IAAF World Championships in Athletics in the period from 1983 to 1997:
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Winning height |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | World Championships | Helsinki | 1st | 5.70 m (18 ft 8+7⁄16 in) |
| 1987 | World Championships | Rome | 1st | 5.85 m (19 ft 2+5⁄16 in) |
| 1991 | World Championships | Tokyo | 1st | 5.95 m (19 ft 6+1⁄4 in) |
| 1993 | World Championships | Stuttgart | 1st | 6.00 m (19 ft 8+1⁄4 in) |
| 1995 | World Championships | Gothenburg | 1st | 5.92 m (19 ft 5+1⁄16 in) |
| 1997 | World Championships | Athens | 1st | 6.01 m (19 ft 8+5⁄8 in) |
World record progression
editBubka broke the world record for men's pole vault 35 times during his career.[5] He broke the outdoor world record 17 times and the indoor world record 18 times. Bubka lost his outdoor world record only once in his career. After Thierry Vigneron, of France, broke his record on August 31, 1984 at the Golden Gala international track meet in Rome, Bubka subsequently reclaimed the record on his next attempt on the same runway minutes later.[22]
| Height | Date | Place |
|---|---|---|
| 6.14 m (20 ft 1+3⁄4 in) | 31 July 1994 | |
| 6.13 m (20 ft 1+5⁄16 in) | 19 September 1992 | |
| 6.12 m (20 ft 15⁄16 in) | 30 August 1992 | |
| 6.11 m (20 ft 9⁄16 in) | 13 June 1992 | |
| 6.10 m (20 ft 3⁄16 in) | 5 August 1991 | |
| 6.09 m (19 ft 11+3⁄4 in) | 8 July 1991 | |
| 6.08 m (19 ft 11+3⁄8 in) | 9 June 1991 | |
| 6.07 m (19 ft 11 in) | 6 May 1991 | |
| 6.06 m (19 ft 10+9⁄16 in) | 10 July 1988 | |
| 6.05 m (19 ft 10+3⁄16 in) | 9 June 1988 | |
| 6.03 m (19 ft 9+3⁄8 in) | 23 June 1987 | |
| 6.01 m (19 ft 8+5⁄8 in) | 8 June 1986 | |
| 6.00 m (19 ft 8+1⁄4 in) | 13 June 1985 | |
| 5.94 m (19 ft 5+7⁄8 in) | 31 August 1984 | |
| 5.90 m (19 ft 4+5⁄16 in) | 13 July 1984 | |
| 5.88 m (19 ft 3+1⁄2 in) | 2 June 1984 | |
| 5.85 m (19 ft 2+5⁄16 in) | 26 May 1984 |
| Height | Date | Place |
|---|---|---|
| 6.15 m (20 ft 2+1⁄8 in) | 21 February 1993 | |
| 6.14 m (20 ft 1+3⁄4 in) | 13 February 1993 | |
| 6.13 m (20 ft 1+5⁄16 in) | 22 February 1992 | |
| 6.12 m (20 ft 15⁄16 in) | 23 March 1991 | |
| 6.11 m (20 ft 9⁄16 in) | 19 March 1991 | |
| 6.10 m (20 ft 3⁄16 in) | 15 March 1991 | |
| 6.08 m (19 ft 11+3⁄8 in) | 9 February 1991 | |
| 6.05 m (19 ft 10+3⁄16 in) | 17 March 1990 | |
| 6.03 m (19 ft 9+3⁄8 in) | 11 February 1989 | |
| 5.97 m (19 ft 7+1⁄16 in) | 17 March 1987 | |
| 5.96 m (19 ft 6+5⁄8 in) | 15 January 1987 | |
| 5.95 m (19 ft 6+1⁄4 in) | 28 February 1986 | |
| 5.94 m (19 ft 5+7⁄8 in) | 21 February 1986 | |
| 5.92 m (19 ft 5+1⁄16 in) | 8 February 1986 | |
| 5.87 m (19 ft 3+1⁄8 in) | 15 January 1986 | |
| 5.83 m (19 ft 1+1⁄2 in) | 10 February 1984 | |
| 5.82 m (19 ft 1+1⁄8 in) | 1 February 1984 | |
| 5.81 m (19 ft 3⁄4 in) | 15 January 1984 |
Technique
editBubka gripped the pole higher than most vaulters to get extra leverage, though Bubka himself played down the effect of grip alone.[23]
His development of the Petrov/Bubka technical model is also considered a key to his success. [24] The Petrov/Bubka model allows the vaulter to continuously put energy into the pole while rising towards the bar.[citation needed] Most conventional models focus on creating maximum bend in the pole before leaving the ground, by planting the pole heavily in the pole vault box. The Petrov/Bubka model follows the technique used by Kjell Isaksson,[25][26][27][28] which concentrates on driving the pole up, rather than bending it while planting it on the landing pad, combined with high running speed. While the traditional models depended on the recoil by bending the pole, the Petrov/Bubka model may exploit the recoil of the pole and exert more energy on the pole during the swinging action.[citation needed]
Recognition
edit- L'Équipe Champion of Champions (1985)[29]
- European Sportsperson of the Year (1985)
- Track & Field News Athlete of the Year (1988)[3]
- Track & Field News Athlete of the Year (1991)[3]
- United Press International Athlete of the Year Award (1991)[30]
- Laureus World Sports Awards discretionary award winner (2008)[31]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Ten years ago Serhiy Bubka was placed in charge of the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine". Unian. 22 June 2015. Retrieved 11 January 2022.
- ^ a b "Gutzeit becomes new President of National Olympic Committee". Interfax-Ukraine. 17 November 2022.
- ^ a b c "Track and Field Athlete of the Year". Trackandfieldnews.com. Archived from the original on 11 May 2011. Retrieved 14 August 2012.
- ^ "Hall of Fame | Athletes". Iaaf.org. Retrieved 20 March 2017.
- ^ a b "Bubka says farewell". BBC News. 4 February 2001. Retrieved 26 August 2007.
- ^ "Top Lists: Pole Vault". IAAF.org. Retrieved 29 June 2009. (Indoor)
- ^ a b "Top Lists: Pole Vault". IAAF.org. Retrieved 29 June 2009. (Outdoor)
- ^ "RENAUD LAVILLENIE SETS POLE VAULT WORLD RECORD OF 6.16M IN DONETSK – UPDATED". IAAF. Retrieved 17 February 2014.
- ^ "RENAUD LAVILLENIE SETS POLE VAULT WORLD RECORD OF 6.16M IN DONETSK – UPDATED". IAAF. Retrieved 15 February 2014.
- ^ "Pole Vault – men – senior – outdoor". Iaaf.org. Retrieved 20 March 2017.
- ^ "World Records". Iaaf.org. Retrieved 20 March 2017.
- ^ Sandomir, Richard (12 April 1992). "OLYMPICS; Top Athletes Are Being Wooed to Fill Some Big Shoes". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 26 May 2015. Retrieved 2 January 2017.
- ^ O'Connor, Ian (1 August 1996). "Sore Bubka cannot soar". NY Daily News. Retrieved 2 January 2017.
- ^ "Discover Monaco > Celebrities > Sports Personalities > Sergey Bubka". Monaco Tribune. Retrieved 5 April 2023.
- ^ Fernando, Shemal (12 December 2021). "Sergey Bubka broke the world record 35 times". Sunday Observer. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
- ^ Mackay, Duncan (5 March 2022). "Bubka insists "Ukraine will win" after declaring love for country". Inside the Games.
- ^ Price, David (4 August 2017). "Carson Valley has a new 'Spirit'". The Record-Courier. Retrieved 23 May 2020.
- ^ "A Family Company". ucsspirit. UCS Spirit. Retrieved 23 May 2020.
- ^ "The Legendary Sergey Bubka". Insideathletics.com.au. 3 April 2009. Retrieved 20 April 2009.
- ^ "Greatest Pole Vaulter Bubka Retires at 37". Los Angeles Times. 5 February 2001. Retrieved 11 January 2022.
- ^ "Sydney 2000 results". IAAF.org. Archived from the original on 22 November 2007. Retrieved 26 August 2007.
- ^ "Bubka finishes". Associated Press. 1 September 1984. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
- ^ "On the Road to Atlanta". The Ukrainian Weekly. 2 June 1996. Archived from the original on 30 September 2007. Retrieved 27 August 2007.
- ^ Ebbetts, Russ (Winter 2020). "TECHNIQUE V. STYLE" (PDF). TrackandFieldNews.com. Track & Field News. Retrieved 9 September 2023.
In reality a technical model can be a simple concept. Generally speaking, there is a "right way or wrong way" to do things. Where it gets fuzzy is with the varying schools of thought, gurus and programs that may champion technical nuances that identify "their brand" of shot putting, pole vaulting or whatever.
- ^ "Pole vault plant by Kjell Isaksson". YouTube. 17 February 2010. Retrieved 20 March 2017.
- ^ "Kjell Isaksson - pole vault 5.54m - 15/4/1972 on Vimeo". Archived from the original on 7 April 2014. Retrieved 14 April 2013.
- ^ "On successive weekends, Vaulter Kjell Isaksson exceeded a - 04.24.72 - SI Vault". Archived from the original on 7 April 2014. Retrieved 14 April 2013.
- ^ "Looking for old footage/information on kjell isaksson(FOUND)". PoleVaultPower.com. Retrieved 20 March 2017.
- ^ List of L’Équipe World Champion of Champions. Who Holds the Title (2012-10-06). Retrieved on 2024-09-05
- ^ "United Press International Male Athlete of the Year". Topend Sports. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
- ^ "The winners for the year 2008 were". Laureus. Archived from the original on 9 November 2017. Retrieved 5 September 2024.