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Flying Dutchman takes pole-vault title ‘home’ after rivals slip up
DOUG GILLON August 12 2005
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THE world championship pole-vault victory last night by Jens Blom condemns him for eternity to be known as the Flying Dutchman.
It is a title he will wear with honour, for the 28-year-old is the first man from the Netherlands to win a global athletics title. When he soared to 5.80 metres in Helsinki, it was the overture to delirious scenes from the nation who believe they invented the sport.
Fierljeppen – canal-leaping – they call it in Friesland, where they have been doing it since they started reclaiming land in the 17th century. They do it for distance, over the water, and have annual competitions, and there was plenty water around on another sopping night.
Conditions on the runway were appalling with a fierce, cold wind gusting in the athletes' faces. It was the lowest winning height since world record-holder Sergei Bubka took the first of his record six successive world titles in 1983.
Blom won world indoor bronze in 2003, but has had a rocky record, no-heighting in the 2001 world final in Edmonton. He was ranked only 11th in the field, but was within one centimetre of his best with his winning clearance.
Holland has won just five previous medals in these championships, three silver and two bronze, and never a men's Olympic gold ever. The last Dutch winner of a global title was Ellen van Langen, who took the Olympic 800m in Seoul.
Blom's victims included America's 2000 Olympic champion Nick Hysong, Italy's defending world champion Giuseppe Gibilisco and the Australian world champion of 2001, Dmitri Markov. The American, Brad Walker, was second (5.75m) with Russian Pavel Gerasimov third, (5.65).
THE world championship pole-vault victory last night by Jens Blom condemns him for eternity to be known as the Flying Dutchman.
It is a title he will wear with honour, for the 28-year-old is the first man from the Netherlands to win a global athletics title. When he soared to 5.80 metres in Helsinki, it was the overture to delirious scenes from the nation who believe they invented the sport.
Fierljeppen – canal-leaping – they call it in Friesland, where they have been doing it since they started reclaiming land in the 17th century. They do it for distance, over the water, and have annual competitions, and there was plenty water around on another sopping night.
Conditions on the runway were appalling with a fierce, cold wind gusting in the athletes' faces. It was the lowest winning height since world record-holder Sergei Bubka took the first of his record six successive world titles in 1983.
Blom won world indoor bronze in 2003, but has had a rocky record, no-heighting in the 2001 world final in Edmonton. He was ranked only 11th in the field, but was within one centimetre of his best with his winning clearance.
Holland has won just five previous medals in these championships, three silver and two bronze, and never a men's Olympic gold ever. The last Dutch winner of a global title was Ellen van Langen, who took the Olympic 800m in Seoul.
Blom's victims included America's 2000 Olympic champion Nick Hysong, Italy's defending world champion Giuseppe Gibilisco and the Australian world champion of 2001, Dmitri Markov. The American, Brad Walker, was second (5.75m) with Russian Pavel Gerasimov third, (5.65).
THE world championship pole-vault victory last night by Jens Blom condemns him for eternity to be known as the Flying Dutchman.
It is a title he will wear with honour, for the 28-year-old is the first man from the Netherlands to win a global athletics title. When he soared to 5.80 metres in Helsinki, it was the overture to delirious scenes from the nation who believe they invented the sport.
Fierljeppen – canal-leaping – they call it in Friesland, where they have been doing it since they started reclaiming land in the 17th century. They do it for distance, over the water, and have annual competitions, and there was plenty water around on another sopping night.
Conditions on the runway were appalling with a fierce, cold wind gusting in the athletes' faces. It was the lowest winning height since world record-holder Sergei Bubka took the first of his record six successive world titles in 1983.
Blom won world indoor bronze in 2003, but has had a rocky record, no-heighting in the 2001 world final in Edmonton. He was ranked only 11th in the field, but was within one centimetre of his best with his winning clearance.
Holland has won just five previous medals in these championships, three silver and two bronze, and never a men's Olympic gold ever. The last Dutch winner of a global title was Ellen van Langen, who took the Olympic 800m in Seoul.
Blom's victims included America's 2000 Olympic champion Nick Hysong, Italy's defending world champion Giuseppe Gibilisco and the Australian world champion of 2001, Dmitri Markov. The American, Brad Walker, was second (5.75m) with Russian Pavel Gerasimov third, (5.65).