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Why Does This World-Champion Pole Vaulter Get No Recognition at Home?
Perhaps a gold in Beijing would get Brad Walker some Seattle love.
By Brian Miller

Gold medalist Brad Walker might be the best Northwest athlete you’ve never heard of.
MARK DADSWELL/GETTY IMAGES
You can be forgiven for never having heard of Brad Walker, but the former University of Washington star's name is one you ought to remember next year, at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. The Mountlake Terrace resident won a gold medal in the pole vault at the world track and field championships earlier this month in Osaka, Japan. He earned the silver medal at the 2005 event, after failing to make the Olympic squad in 2004. Thus, having steadily improved since graduating from UW four years ago, he's now a favorite for Beijing.

So how come Walker's such an unknown in his hometown? Speaking by phone fromZurich before the super-prestigious Weltklasse meet on Sept. 7 (where Walker placed fourth), the 26-year-old says, "As an NCAA champion, I would receive significantly more press than I do as world champion. I definitely don't get recognized in the Seattle area. I leave Seattle [for Europe]...and people come up and shake my hand and ask if I'm the world champion."

Walker won the gold in Osaka with a vault of 5.76 meters, and his current personal record stands at an even 6 meters, or 19 feet, 8 inches (that's the equivalent of three Hummer H2s stacked on top of one another). His 5.95-meter vault in Australia this past spring is tops in the world this year. Incidentally, the world record of 6.14 meters by Ukraine's Sergei Bubkaâ€â€

Brad was born in Aberdeen South Dakota. The newspaper from there called him and did an interview with him to be in their paper after Worlds. Oh did I say he has not lived there since he was 2 years old. What a shame. Seattle can't see what they have, nor can Spokane, where he grew up. But at least Aberdeen S.D. is claiming him.

Brad is certainly due his respect, and I think it will be a shame if Seattle does not recognize the accomplishments of one of their own. But to everyone who cries about American athletes not being recognized at home I would say, "Be careful what you wish for!" I have traveled in Europe with athletes whose superstar status at home gives them no privacy whatsoever. Their every move is discussed by the entire country and their every deficiency magnified to ridiculous degrees.

Athletes are people. They have pretty normal lives if they are allowed to live them. Or they can be hounded by the press and fans until they turn into Paris Hilton. Which would you rather be?

Well I think the point is that there is a big difference between being bratty Paris Hilton and getting some recognition in your home town for a joeb well done. I guarantee you that the backup right fielder for the Mariners's sprained ankle got more attention than Brad.

I can somewhat relate. When I won the AAA state championship, it was the first individual state championship for our entire high school in over 15 years, and the big story on the school news the next day was the baseball team's 3-1 win over another local high school. Brings you down a bit.

Shameful.

I'd say most track athletes agree we dont do it for the publicity. We do it for the personal satisfaction and great feelings of accomplishing something great. That being said, it would be nice for a little article for those in sports not-so well known. My teamate and I attended the same high school and took 1st and 4th at nike this past year, and the top story the next weekend was our girls softball team taking 2nd in conference. It made me laugh.

Like Barto said though, it gets to be a little much. If you get publicity, you cant expect it to be all good publicity either.