Sergei Bubka

Sergei Bubka is a former Ukrainian pole vaulter who represented the Soviet Union till the time it collapsed in the year 1991. He is considered as the best pole vaulter in the whole world and one of the best athletes of modern times. He has also won 6 consecutive IAAF World Championships and an Olympic gold medal as well. He also holds the distinction of breaking the world record for men's vaulting 35 times. Sergei Nazarovych Bubka was born on December 4, 1963 in Luhansk, Ukraine. His father was a soldier while his mother was a medical assistant. Neither of his parents were interested in sports. He also has an elder brother, named, Vasiliy Bubka, who is also a pole vaulter. Since childhood, Bubka had a very high interest level in sports. He had a ferocious and competitive spirit and he played many sports till he was 10 years old. His interest in sports came from playing in the streets around his house, along with his brother and friends. His favorite games were street hockey and football.

In 1981, Sergei Bubka entered the world of international athletics, when he participated in the European Junior Championships and stood 7th. But it was the 1983 World Championships that was held in Helsinki which proved to be his actual entry into the athletics. He won a gold medal when he cleared 5.70 metres (18 feet 8 inches). The next year, he continued to create records in pole vaulting.

Bubka earned his first world record on 26 May, 1984 when he cleared 5.85 metres, and then went on to clear 5.90 metres a month later. On 13 July, 1985, he created another world record by clearing 6.00 metres (19feet 8 inches), in Paris. He further went on to improve his own record during the next 10 years and did his career best when he cleared 6.14 metres in 1994. To this day, Sergei Bubka remains the only athlete ever to jump over 6.10 metres. He cleared the height of 6.00 metres more than 44 times, which was considered virtually impossible.

Professional Career

Sergei Bubka broke the world record for pole vaulting a total 35 times, in his career. He also broke the outdoor pole vault world record 17 times and the indoor world record 18 times. He worked really hard at his game; this is proved by the fact that inspite of having virtually no competition at all, he improved his own scores time and again.

Although he was the most dominant pole vaulter during his time, he was not so lucky when it came to Olympic Games. The first Olympic that was held after his introduction into the international arena was in 1984. But unfortunately, it was boycotted by the U.S.S.R along with other Eastern countries. Just two months before the Olympic Games were to be held, he had vaulted 12cm higher than the Olympic gold medal winner Pierre Quinnon.