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| Event type

Pole Vault, Men

Date5 – 7 September 1960
StatusOlympic
LocationStadio Olimpico, Roma
Participants29 from 20 countries

Don Bragg was the favorite. He had been world-ranked in the top three since 1955, was ranked #1 in 1959, and broke the world record at the US Olympic Trials in July 1960. The competition seemed endless, taking over six hours. Four vaulters survived 4.55 (14-11) – Bragg, American Ron Morris, 1954/58 European Champion Eeles Landström, and surprising Puerto Rican Rolando Cruz, who had been 1959 Pan-American Games bronze medalist behind champion Bragg. Only Bragg and Morris cleared 4.60 (15-1), and Bragg led with a first-attempt clearance, Morris missing once. Both tried 4.70 (15-5), with Bragg going over on his first try. Morris missed three times and the gold and silver medals were decided. Landström won the bronze as he had cleared 4.55 (14-11) on his first attempt, Cruz on his second. Bragg’s dream was to play Tarzan in the movies. After his vaulting victories he usually punctuated them with a Tarzan yell. Bragg never quite achieved his dream, though he came close. He was chosen for one role and the shooting had begun on Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar but the filming was stopped because of legal problems. Bragg never appeared in the movies in any role. One highly considered vaulter who did not get to compete was the Soviet Vladimir Bulatov, ranked 5th in the world in 1959 and 6th in 1958, but he had to withdraw after breaking his ankle on his first warm-up vault in qualifying.

PosNrAthleteNOCQualifying RoundFinal Round
1431Don BraggUSA4.40 (3)4.70 (1)GoldOR
2433Ron MorrisUSA4.30 (11)4.60 (2)SilverOR
3506Eeles LandströmFIN4.40 (=4)4.55 (3)Bronze
4251Rolando CruzPUR4.40 (=8)4.55 (4)
5299Günter MalcherGER4.40 (=4)4.50 (5)
=6507Matti SutinenFIN4.40 (=1)4.50 (=6)
=6582Igor PetrenkoURS4.40 (=8)4.50 (=6)
8156Rudolf TomášekTCH4.40 (6)4.50 (8)
9320Leon LukmanYUG4.40 (7)4.40 (9)
10164Hristo HristovBUL4.40 (=1)4.40 (10)
11165Dimitar HlebarovBUL4.30 (=12)4.30 (11)
12538Andrzej KrzesińskiPOL4.30 (=12)4.30 (12)
13580Jānis KrasovskisURS4.40 (10)4.30 (13)
=14 r1/2298Peter LauferGER4.20 (=14)
=14 r1/2300Manfred PreußgerGER4.20 (=14)
=14 r1/2369Valbjörn ÞorlákssonISL4.20 (=14)
=14 r1/2321Roman LešekYUG4.20 (=14)
=18 r1/2485Victor SillonFRA4.20 (=18)
=18 r1/2337Georgios RoumpanisGRE4.20 (=18)
=18 r1/2537Janusz GronowskiPOL4.20 (=18)
=18 r1/2432Dave ClarkUSA4.20 (=18)
22 r1/2384Noriaki YasudaJPN4.20 (22)
=23 r1/2243Raymond Van DijckBEL4.00 (=23)
=23 r1/2245Bjørn AndersenDEN4.00 (=23)
=23 r1/2228Gérard BarrasSUI4.00 (=23)
26 r1/2124Allah DittaPAK4.00 (26)
AC r1/228Mohamed AbdullahIRQ– (NH)
AC r1/253Owen OkundayeNGR– (NH)
AC r1/2669Orhan AltanTUR– (NH)
DNS93Günther GratzerAUT– (DNS)
DNS581Vladimir BulatovURS– (DNS)

Qualifying Round (5 September 1960 — 9:00)

Top 12 and ties and all those clearing 4.40 metres advanced to the final.

PosAthleteNOCHeightMissesTotal MissesTotal Attempts3.80 m4.00 m4.20 m4.30 m4.40 m
=1Hristo HristovBUL4.40004-ooooQ
=1Matti SutinenFIN4.40004-ooooQ
3Don BraggUSA4.40014--oxooQ
=4Eeles LandströmFIN4.40015-ooxooQ
=4Günter MalcherGER4.40015-oxoooQ
6Rudolf TomášekTCH4.40016oxooooQ
7Leon LukmanYUG4.40026-oxxoooQ
=8Rolando CruzPUR4.40226-oooxxoQ
=8Igor PetrenkoURS4.40226-oooxxoQ
10Jānis KrasovskisURS4.40236--oxoxxoQ
11Ron MorrisUSA4.30002--ooxxxQ
=12Dimitar HlebarovBUL4.30003-oooxxxQ
=12Andrzej KrzesińskiPOL4.30003-oooxxxQ
=14Peter LauferGER4.20002-oo-xxx
=14Manfred PreußgerGER4.20002-oo-xxx
=14Valbjörn ÞorlákssonISL4.20002-ooxxx
=14Roman LešekYUG4.20002-ooxxx
=18Victor SillonFRA4.20003oooxxx
=18Georgios RoumpanisGRE4.20003oooxxx
=18Janusz GronowskiPOL4.20003oooxxx
=18Dave ClarkUSA4.20003oooxxx
22Noriaki YasudaJPN4.20024-xxooxxx
=23Raymond Van DijckBEL4.00001-oxxx
=23Bjørn AndersenDEN4.00001-oxxx
=23Gérard BarrasSUI4.00001-oxxx
26Allah DittaPAK4.00013xooxxx
NHMohamed AbdullahIRQ
NHOwen OkundayeNGR
NHOrhan AltanTUR
DNSGünther GratzerAUT
DNSVladimir BulatovURS

Final Round (7 September 1960 — 13:30)

PosAthleteNOCHeightMissesTotal MissesTotal Attempts4.00 m4.20 m4.30 m4.40 m4.50 m4.55 m4.60 m4.70 m4.82 m
1Don BraggUSA4.70017--oxoooooxxxOR
2Ron MorrisUSA4.60127--ooxooxoxxxOR
3Eeles LandströmFIN4.55026-o-xoxooxxx
4Rolando CruzPUR4.55117oooooxoxxx
5Günter MalcherGER4.50004-ooooxxx
=6Matti SutinenFIN4.50025-o-xxooxxx
=6Igor PetrenkoURS4.50025-o-xxooxxx
8Rudolf TomášekTCH4.50027oooxxooxxx
9Leon LukmanYUG4.40004ooooxxx
10Hristo HristovBUL4.40014-xoooxxx
11Dimitar HlebarovBUL4.30002-ooxxx
12Andrzej KrzesińskiPOL4.30003oooxxx
13Jānis KrasovskisURS4.30112--xoxxx