Stacy Dragila: First Olympic Women’s Pole Vault Champion

Pole vaulting is an exciting sport to watch as well as to compete in. It has been around for many years. In fact, using ‘spear-like objects to clear objects dates back to Ancient Greek times. Historians have even found paintings with pole vaulting in them that date back to 500 BC.

The first poles were made of wood, followed by bamboo. The modern pole is made of a combination of carbon fiber and fiberglass. With the modern poles, athletes can clear heights almost double that of the first Olympic record.