Walker is a steady competitor in fickle pole vault...

[patchdoggydogg]

As dramatic as pole vaulting is, perhaps no event in track and field is as technical and unpredictable.

Vaulters need a gymnast's body control, a sprinter's speed and a hurdler's precision. Winds can buffet the body and psyche.

That makes what Brad Walker has done even more impressive.

When it comes to planting a long, springy pole and launching over a bar as high as a two stories, no one has been steadier. In the past four World Championships, indoor and outdoor, Mountlake Terrace's Walker, 27, has won two golds and two silvers. He's the world No. 1-ranked vaulter going into Beijing.

You can read the full story at http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/o ... ker07.html