Top Olympic Hopefuls--Men
Posted: Wed Aug 18, 2004 6:16 pm
As almost every track fan on this side of the solar system would know, in its August 2nd issue Sports Illustrated offered its medal picks. For the men's pole vault, they were:
Gold--Dimitri Markov, Australia
Silver--Toby Stevenson, United States
Bronze--Tim Mack, United States
At the risk of having egg on my face--again--I find Markov's nomination for the gold a bit strange. Admittedly, he's a very experienced vaulter with a good record in big meet competition, but his 2004 outdoor record is not outstanding in this field.
I thought I'd let you make your own decision about that by presenting the season records of the six top-ranked vaulters who are competing at Athens. I'll have to make it the top seven, though, since Markov would not be among those.
Sorry if this is more data than you really want. If I've missed an athlete who's of special interest to you, it's easy to check them individually. Just go to Mirko Jalava's home page <http://www.tilastopaja.net> and about half-way down, you'll see a space to enter a name for the bio and season's record of any athlete on the current world list. Since the link is from the home page, it's not necessary to enter the "members only" section. I'll try to send my top six women's vault prospects tomorrow.
Cheers,
Roger
~~~~~
Toby Stevenson (USA) age 27
2004 Outdoor Marks--#1 on Mirko's world list
5.71 1c3 MSR Walnut CA 18 Apr
5.71i 1c2 DrakeR Des Moines IA 24 Apr
>6.00 1c2 ModR Modesto CA 8 May
5.94 1 Sky Inv Phoenix AZ 14 May
5.60 1 Home Depot Carson CA 22 May
5.85 1 US Open Stanford CA 31 May
5.80 4 Pre Eugene OR 19 Jun
5.60 1 High Perf Provo UT 26 Jun
5.85 2 OT Sacramento CA 11 Jul
5.55 4 Karlsruhe 21 Jul
5.75 4 Gaz Saint-Denis 23 Jul
5.80 2 DNG Stockholm 27 Jul
5.82 1 Bayer Leverkusen 1 Aug
in Major Championships:
2003 5.45 1 PAG Santo Domingo 8 Aug
2004 5.558qB WIC Budapest 6 Mar
~~~~~
Tim Mack (USA) age 32
2004 Outdoor Marks--#2 on Mirko's world list
5.48 1c2 SeaRay Knoxville TN 10 Apr
5.65 2 Knox Inv Knoxville TN 25 Apr
5.60 1 GP Osaka 8 May
5.70 6 Sky Inv Phoenix AZ 14 May
5.50 2 Home Depot Carson CA 22 May
5.55 4 US Open Stanford CA 31 May
5.50 9 Pre Eugene OR 19 Jun
5.85 1 Knoxville TN 25 Jun
>5.90 1 Jonesboro AR 27 Jun
>5.90 1 OT Sacramento CA 11 Jul
NH Gaz Saint-Denis 23 Jul
5.65 3 DNG Stockholm 27 Jul
5.80 1 KBC Heusden 31 Jul
in Major Championships:
2001 5.75 9 WC Edmonton 9 Aug
2001 5.80 1 GWG Brisbane 7 Sep
2003 5.70 6= WC Saint-Denis 28 Aug
~~~~~
Alex Averbukh (ISR) age 29
2004 Outdoor Marks--#3 on Mirko's world list
5.52 1 Tel Aviv 15 May
5.55 1 Jerusalem 23 May
5.50 1 ECCC-A Moskva 30 May
>5.85 1 Kuortane 27 Jun
5.67 1 GGala Roma 2 Jul
5.70 1 NC erusalem 5 Jul
5.75 1 Gaz Saint-Denis 23 Jul
NH DNG Stockholm 27 Jul
in Major Championships:
1999 5.80 4= WC Sevilla 26 Aug
2000 5.75 1 EIC Gent 26 Feb
2000 5.50 10= OG Sydney 29 Sep
2001 5.70 4 WIC Lisboa 10 Mar
2001 5.85 2 WC Edmonton 9 Aug
2001 5.80 1 WUG Beijing 30 Aug
2001 5.80 2 GWG Brisbane 7 Sep
2002 5.85 1 EC München 10 Aug
2002 NH WCp Madrid 21 Sep
2003 5.40 3qA WIC Birmingham 14 Mar
2003 NH qA WC Saint-Denis 26 Aug
2004 5.55 7=qA WC Budapest 6 Mar
~~~~~
Rens Blom (NED) age 27
2004 Outdoor Marks--#7 on Mirko's world list
5.60 1 Rechberghausen 1 May
5.77 1 FBKG Hengelo 31 May
5.70 2 Lombardia Milano 2 Jun
>5.81 3 Aragón Zaragoza 8 Jun
5.45 6 ECp Bydgoszcz 20 Jun
5.60 sq 4 Köln 25 Jun
5.67 6 GGala Roma 2 Jul
5.70 1 Athletissima Lausanne 6 Jul
5.62 1 NC Utrecht 10 Jul
5.40 sq 9 Zürich 28 Jul
5.52 5 Bayer Leverkusen 1 Aug
NH WK Zürich 6 Aug
in Major Championships:
1998 5.55 q EC Valencia 27 Feb
1999 5.50 5= EJ Göteborg 1 Aug
2000 5.60 3 EC Gent 26 Feb
2000 5.65 15q OG Sydney 27 Sep
2001 NH WC Edmonton 9 Aug
2002 5.25 11qB EC München 8 Aug
2003 5.75 3 WC Birmingham 15 Mar
2003 5.60 qA WC Saint-Denis 26 Aug
2004 5.40 5 ECp Leipzig 14 Feb
2004 NH WIC Budapest 7 Mar
2004 5.45 6 ECp Bydgoszcz 20 Jun
~~~~~
Derek Miles (USA) age 31
2004 Outdoor Marks--#8 on Mirko's world list
NHi c2 DrakeR Des Moines IA 24 Apr
5.35 4 Home Depot Carson CA 22 May
5.55 4 US Open Stanford CA 31 May
5.51 1 Jonesboro AR 6 Jun
>5.81 1 Jonesboro AR 13 Jun
5.70 5 Pre Eugene OR 19 Jun
5.70 2 Jonesboro AR 27 Jun
5.80 3 OT Sacramento CA 11 Jul
5.75 3 Gaz Saint-Denis 23 Jul
5.80 4 WK Zürich 6 Aug
in Major Championships:
2003 5.70 5 WIC Birmingham 15 Mar
2003 5.70 6= WC Saint-Denis 28 Aug
~~~~~
Daichi Sawano (JPN) age 24
2004 Outdoor Marks--#9 on Mirko's world list
5.40 1 Narita 17 Apr
5.60 1 Shizuoka 3 May
NH GP Osaka 8 May
>5.80 1 NC Tottori 6 Jun
in Major Championships:
2002 NH WCp Madrid 21 Sep
2003 5.60 6=qB WC Saint-Denis 26 Aug
2004 5.55 7=qA WC Budapest 6 Mar
~~~~~
Dimitry Markov (AUS) age 29
2004 Outdoor Marks--#10 on Mirko's world list
5.40 4 GP Osaka 8 May
5.35 5 Home Depot Carson CA 22 May
5.55 4 US Open Stanford CA 31 May
5.50 1 Anhalt Dessau 4 Jun
5.71 6 Aragón Zaragoza 8 Jun
NH Askina Kassel 11 Jun
5.75 1 DLV Erfurt 13 Jun
>5.80 2 Pre Eugene OR 19 Jun
5.75 2 Odlozila Praha 28 Jun
5.57 8 GGala Roma 2 Jul
5.50 10= Athletissima Lausanne 6 Jul
NH Gaz Saint-Denis 23 Jul
5.55 5 DNG Stockholm 27 Jul
5.61 2 MAI Malmö 2 Aug
in Major Championships:
1994 5.50 2-19WJ Lisboa 22 Jul
1996 5.86 6 OG Atlanta GA 2 Aug
1999 5.90 2 WC Sevilla 26 Aug
2000 5.80 5= OG Sydney 29 Sep
2001 6.05 1 WC Edmonton 9 Aug
2001 5.75 3 GWG Brisbane 7 Sep
2002 5.50 4= CWG Manchester 30 Jul
2003 5.85 4 WC Saint-Denis 28 Aug
2004 5.65 5qA WIC Budapest 6 Mar
~~~~~
N.B.--On the world deep lists, ties for best height are ranked by the order in which the mark was achieved.
Gold--Dimitri Markov, Australia
Silver--Toby Stevenson, United States
Bronze--Tim Mack, United States
At the risk of having egg on my face--again--I find Markov's nomination for the gold a bit strange. Admittedly, he's a very experienced vaulter with a good record in big meet competition, but his 2004 outdoor record is not outstanding in this field.
I thought I'd let you make your own decision about that by presenting the season records of the six top-ranked vaulters who are competing at Athens. I'll have to make it the top seven, though, since Markov would not be among those.
Sorry if this is more data than you really want. If I've missed an athlete who's of special interest to you, it's easy to check them individually. Just go to Mirko Jalava's home page <http://www.tilastopaja.net> and about half-way down, you'll see a space to enter a name for the bio and season's record of any athlete on the current world list. Since the link is from the home page, it's not necessary to enter the "members only" section. I'll try to send my top six women's vault prospects tomorrow.
Cheers,
Roger
~~~~~
Toby Stevenson (USA) age 27
2004 Outdoor Marks--#1 on Mirko's world list
5.71 1c3 MSR Walnut CA 18 Apr
5.71i 1c2 DrakeR Des Moines IA 24 Apr
>6.00 1c2 ModR Modesto CA 8 May
5.94 1 Sky Inv Phoenix AZ 14 May
5.60 1 Home Depot Carson CA 22 May
5.85 1 US Open Stanford CA 31 May
5.80 4 Pre Eugene OR 19 Jun
5.60 1 High Perf Provo UT 26 Jun
5.85 2 OT Sacramento CA 11 Jul
5.55 4 Karlsruhe 21 Jul
5.75 4 Gaz Saint-Denis 23 Jul
5.80 2 DNG Stockholm 27 Jul
5.82 1 Bayer Leverkusen 1 Aug
in Major Championships:
2003 5.45 1 PAG Santo Domingo 8 Aug
2004 5.558qB WIC Budapest 6 Mar
~~~~~
Tim Mack (USA) age 32
2004 Outdoor Marks--#2 on Mirko's world list
5.48 1c2 SeaRay Knoxville TN 10 Apr
5.65 2 Knox Inv Knoxville TN 25 Apr
5.60 1 GP Osaka 8 May
5.70 6 Sky Inv Phoenix AZ 14 May
5.50 2 Home Depot Carson CA 22 May
5.55 4 US Open Stanford CA 31 May
5.50 9 Pre Eugene OR 19 Jun
5.85 1 Knoxville TN 25 Jun
>5.90 1 Jonesboro AR 27 Jun
>5.90 1 OT Sacramento CA 11 Jul
NH Gaz Saint-Denis 23 Jul
5.65 3 DNG Stockholm 27 Jul
5.80 1 KBC Heusden 31 Jul
in Major Championships:
2001 5.75 9 WC Edmonton 9 Aug
2001 5.80 1 GWG Brisbane 7 Sep
2003 5.70 6= WC Saint-Denis 28 Aug
~~~~~
Alex Averbukh (ISR) age 29
2004 Outdoor Marks--#3 on Mirko's world list
5.52 1 Tel Aviv 15 May
5.55 1 Jerusalem 23 May
5.50 1 ECCC-A Moskva 30 May
>5.85 1 Kuortane 27 Jun
5.67 1 GGala Roma 2 Jul
5.70 1 NC erusalem 5 Jul
5.75 1 Gaz Saint-Denis 23 Jul
NH DNG Stockholm 27 Jul
in Major Championships:
1999 5.80 4= WC Sevilla 26 Aug
2000 5.75 1 EIC Gent 26 Feb
2000 5.50 10= OG Sydney 29 Sep
2001 5.70 4 WIC Lisboa 10 Mar
2001 5.85 2 WC Edmonton 9 Aug
2001 5.80 1 WUG Beijing 30 Aug
2001 5.80 2 GWG Brisbane 7 Sep
2002 5.85 1 EC München 10 Aug
2002 NH WCp Madrid 21 Sep
2003 5.40 3qA WIC Birmingham 14 Mar
2003 NH qA WC Saint-Denis 26 Aug
2004 5.55 7=qA WC Budapest 6 Mar
~~~~~
Rens Blom (NED) age 27
2004 Outdoor Marks--#7 on Mirko's world list
5.60 1 Rechberghausen 1 May
5.77 1 FBKG Hengelo 31 May
5.70 2 Lombardia Milano 2 Jun
>5.81 3 Aragón Zaragoza 8 Jun
5.45 6 ECp Bydgoszcz 20 Jun
5.60 sq 4 Köln 25 Jun
5.67 6 GGala Roma 2 Jul
5.70 1 Athletissima Lausanne 6 Jul
5.62 1 NC Utrecht 10 Jul
5.40 sq 9 Zürich 28 Jul
5.52 5 Bayer Leverkusen 1 Aug
NH WK Zürich 6 Aug
in Major Championships:
1998 5.55 q EC Valencia 27 Feb
1999 5.50 5= EJ Göteborg 1 Aug
2000 5.60 3 EC Gent 26 Feb
2000 5.65 15q OG Sydney 27 Sep
2001 NH WC Edmonton 9 Aug
2002 5.25 11qB EC München 8 Aug
2003 5.75 3 WC Birmingham 15 Mar
2003 5.60 qA WC Saint-Denis 26 Aug
2004 5.40 5 ECp Leipzig 14 Feb
2004 NH WIC Budapest 7 Mar
2004 5.45 6 ECp Bydgoszcz 20 Jun
~~~~~
Derek Miles (USA) age 31
2004 Outdoor Marks--#8 on Mirko's world list
NHi c2 DrakeR Des Moines IA 24 Apr
5.35 4 Home Depot Carson CA 22 May
5.55 4 US Open Stanford CA 31 May
5.51 1 Jonesboro AR 6 Jun
>5.81 1 Jonesboro AR 13 Jun
5.70 5 Pre Eugene OR 19 Jun
5.70 2 Jonesboro AR 27 Jun
5.80 3 OT Sacramento CA 11 Jul
5.75 3 Gaz Saint-Denis 23 Jul
5.80 4 WK Zürich 6 Aug
in Major Championships:
2003 5.70 5 WIC Birmingham 15 Mar
2003 5.70 6= WC Saint-Denis 28 Aug
~~~~~
Daichi Sawano (JPN) age 24
2004 Outdoor Marks--#9 on Mirko's world list
5.40 1 Narita 17 Apr
5.60 1 Shizuoka 3 May
NH GP Osaka 8 May
>5.80 1 NC Tottori 6 Jun
in Major Championships:
2002 NH WCp Madrid 21 Sep
2003 5.60 6=qB WC Saint-Denis 26 Aug
2004 5.55 7=qA WC Budapest 6 Mar
~~~~~
Dimitry Markov (AUS) age 29
2004 Outdoor Marks--#10 on Mirko's world list
5.40 4 GP Osaka 8 May
5.35 5 Home Depot Carson CA 22 May
5.55 4 US Open Stanford CA 31 May
5.50 1 Anhalt Dessau 4 Jun
5.71 6 Aragón Zaragoza 8 Jun
NH Askina Kassel 11 Jun
5.75 1 DLV Erfurt 13 Jun
>5.80 2 Pre Eugene OR 19 Jun
5.75 2 Odlozila Praha 28 Jun
5.57 8 GGala Roma 2 Jul
5.50 10= Athletissima Lausanne 6 Jul
NH Gaz Saint-Denis 23 Jul
5.55 5 DNG Stockholm 27 Jul
5.61 2 MAI Malmö 2 Aug
in Major Championships:
1994 5.50 2-19WJ Lisboa 22 Jul
1996 5.86 6 OG Atlanta GA 2 Aug
1999 5.90 2 WC Sevilla 26 Aug
2000 5.80 5= OG Sydney 29 Sep
2001 6.05 1 WC Edmonton 9 Aug
2001 5.75 3 GWG Brisbane 7 Sep
2002 5.50 4= CWG Manchester 30 Jul
2003 5.85 4 WC Saint-Denis 28 Aug
2004 5.65 5qA WIC Budapest 6 Mar
~~~~~
N.B.--On the world deep lists, ties for best height are ranked by the order in which the mark was achieved.