Olympics: Hooker ends 40-year Australian wait with pole vault gold
Posted: 23 August 2008 0526 hrs

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BEIJING : Steve Hooker of Australia set an Olympic record of 5.96 metres to win the men's pole vault gold medal at the Beijing Games on Friday.

The 26-year-old Commonwealth champion won the competition when he vaulted 5.90m at his third attempt. He then went on to break American Tim Mack's previous Olympic record of 5.95m set at the Athens Games in 2004.

It was the first track and field gold medal for the Australian men's team since Ralph Doubell won the 800m at the 1968 Mexico Games.

Russian Evgeny Lukyanenko claimed silver with 5.85m and Ukraine's Denys Yurchenko won bronze with 5.70m on countback.

"The whole competition was mentally and physically the hardest thing I've done in my life," said Hooker. It was more like boxing than pole vault.

"I was close to missing 5.80m but I made the big jumps when it counted."

Hooker said that setting an Olympic record had not been his goal.

"I'm just happy to put it together when it counts," he said. "I didn't care if I jumped an Olympic record or 5.50m. It's all about winning out here.

"However, the Olympic record is really special to me. Tim Mack is a really good friend of mine."

Hooker acknowledged that he had done his nerves no favours by leaving himself until the third attempt at several heights.

"I can't believe it. I was not expecting to see more 'O's than 'X's on my scorecard.

"I didn't expect to be there on my third attempt, and to do it three times, it's very draining.

"I should have skipped the second jumps altogether. They were not working for me. I should have gone straight to the third."

- AFP /ls