Hooker can vault my record: Bubka

[rainbowgirl28]

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/st ... 18,00.html

Hooker can vault my record: Bubka

Jenny McAsey | February 21, 2009

Article from: The Australian
THE great man has spoken.

Sergey Bubka, the undisputed king of the pole vault, has declared that Australia's Steve Hooker has what it takes to break the world record of 6.15m he set in his Ukraine homeland in 1993.

Speaking from Donetsk, where he honed the vaulting skills that saw him rule the event from the early 1980s to the late 90s, Bubka said he would not be upset if Hooker wiped his mark from the record books.

"I finished as an athlete a long time ago. It is important for the pole vault that we now have among the men a strong athlete who can try to set up records," Bubka told The Australian.

"Steve has already achieved the second-best result in history. His results show he has good technique, and the skills and ability to jump over six metres consistently.

"I am ready for the day -- it is normal that there will be someone better than me."

The comments from Bubka, who set 35 world records and won six consecutive world titles to reign from 1983 to 1999, came as Hooker continued his dominance on the international indoor circuit.

On Thursday night, he cleared 5.86m to win in Stockholm, Sweden. He made the height on his third and final attempt to once more prove he has the mental fortitude to perform under pressure.

It was his fifth consecutive victory in the past three weeks, including a win at Bubka's Pole Vault Stars Meeting in Donetsk on Monday.

Hooker cleared 5.92m there, and then turned to Bubka. "Steven came to me and he asked: "Would you mind if I tried for the (world) record?"' Bubka said yesterday. "I said: "Of course not, no problem, please go ahead.' I believe Steven has the full right to try, but it was a nice gesture to approach me like this. It was a little bit funny."

In all of his recent competitions apart from Stockholm, Hooker has asked officials to put the bar to 6.16m and tried for the record.

While there have been several creditable attempts, he believes he is still some way off.

Rule changes to the event, including shorter pegs to hold up the bar, have led some vaulters to argue it is much harder to jump over 6m now, but Bubka disputes that.

"Nothing major has changed, there is nothing that gives less chance for athletes to jump high," he said.

"People say I was involved in the changes, that this is Sergey trying to protect his record. But I was not involved. It was done before I became a member of the IAAF (international athletics) council."

Hooker will arrive home this weekend more than satisfied with his form since winning the gold medal at the Beijing Olympics. "I am really stoked to finish the trip with five wins," said Hooker, who set a new personal best of 6.06m when he won in Boston two weeks ago.

Now he has the chance to show his talents in Australia. Hooker will be guest speaker at the John Landy lunch in Sydney on Thursday, ahead of his competition at the Sydney Track Classic next Saturday.

He will also compete at the World Athletics Tour meet in Melbourne on March 5 and is keen to jump over 6m on home soil. "I am looking forward to returning home, having a bit of a rest before getting up for Sydney," Hooker said.

[ArcadiaPV]

Thats a neat gesture by Steve Hooker. "hey bud mind if I try to break your world record?" I'm sure that doesnt get asked a lot.

Also, was glad to see that Bubka clarified the rule changes in the vault. I mean honestly Bubka cleared 6 meters plus so many times, without coming close to the bar, it wouldnt have mattered how long the pegs were.