Pole Vault, Men
| Date | 3 August 1932 — 14:30 | |
|---|---|---|
| Status | Olympic | |
| Location | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, California | |
| Participants | 8 from 4 countries | |
| Format | Final only. | |
At the US Olympic trials, Bill Graber had broken the world record with 4.37 (14-4). He was favored, but his teammates Bill Miller (second at the trials) and George Jefferson were also highly considered.
Graber cleared 4.15 (13-7¼), passed 4.20 (13-9¼), but could not get over 4.25 (13-11¼) and had to settle for fourth. Miller, Jefferson, and Japan’s Shuhei Nishida all cleared 4.20, Nishida missing once. At 4.25 and 4.30 (14-1¼), Miller had first-attempt clearances, but Nishida would not go away, making both heights on his third tries. Finally, at 4.315 (14-1¾), Miller secured the gold medal with a third-attempt clearance, while Nishida could not get over the bar. Miller failed three times at the world record height of 4.40 (14-5¼). Nishida was a Los Angeles crowd favorite for his sportsmanship in congratulating Miller.
| Pos | Number | Competitor | NOC | Best Height Cleared | Attempts at 4.15 m | Attempts at 4.20 m | Attempts at 4.25 m | Attempts at 4.30 m | Attempts at 4.315 m | Attempts at 4.35 m | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 447 | Bill Miller |  USA | 4.315 | xxo | o | o | o | xxo | xxx | Gold | ||
| 2 | 294 | Shuhei Nishida |  JPN | 4.300 | o | xo | xxo | xxo | xxx | – | Silver | ||
| 3 | 436 | George Jefferson | USA | 4.200 | - | o | xxx | – | – | – | Bronze | ||
| 4 | 426 | Bill Graber | USA | 4.150 | xxo | - | xxx | – | – | – | |||
| 5 | 288 | Shizuo Mochizuki | JPN | 4.000 | – | – | – | – | – | – | |||
| 6 | 34 | Lúcio de Castro |  BRA | 3.900 | – | – | – | – | – | – | |||
| 7 | 216 | Peter Clentzos |  GRE | 3.750 | – | – | – | – | – | – | |||
| 50 | Carlos Nelli | BRA | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | ||||
| 58 | Carlos Wöbcken | BRA | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |