Athletics at the 2016 Summer Olympics – Women's pole vault explained

Event:	Women's pole vault
Games:	2016 Summer
Venue:	Olympic Stadium
Date:	16–19 August 2016
Competitors:	38
Nations:	24
Win Label:	Winning height
Win Value:	4.85 m
Gold:	Katerina Stefanidi
Goldnoc:	GRE
Silver:	Sandi Morris
Silvernoc:	USA
Bronze:	Eliza McCartney
Bronzenoc:	NZL
Prev:	2012
Next:	2020

The women's pole vault competition at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The event was held at the Olympic Stadium between 16–19 August.^[1]

Summary

It took a clean round to 4.55 m to qualify. Holly Bradshaw, Lisa Ryzih, Jennifer Suhr, Eliza McCartney, Yarisley Silva and Martina Strutz already had misses and had to jump 4.60. All but Strutz did it on their first attempt. Ekaterini Stefanidi had passed the lower heights and took her only attempt at 4.60, which was successful to qualify.

In the final, 4.60 proved to be the end of the line as both returning Olympic medalists from 2012, Suhr and Silva topped out. They left tied with one miss each. 2012 bronze medalist Yelena Isinbayeva did not return because Russia's athletics team was suspended from international competition for state-sponsored doping. Isinbayeva later announced her retirement. Six women were able to clear 4.70, McCartney and Stefanidi were tied with the lead, each without a miss. Stefanidi missed her first attempt at 4.80, so when McCartney remained perfect, she took the lead. Stefanidi, Sandi Morris and Alana Boyd all cleared on their second attempt. After missing her first attempt at 4.80, Nicole Büchler saved her two remaining attempts for 4.85 (she missed both). Stefanidi took the lead with a second attempt clearance of . Morris followed with a clearance of her own. When McCartney and Boyd were unable to clear the bar, Morris was guaranteed silver. Neither were able to clear, though on Morris' last attempt, knowing it was all or nothing for the gold medal, it looked like she was well over the bar, her thigh just catching the bar on the way down to dislodge it. 19-year-old McCartney equaled her National Record, set in March 2016.

The medals were presented by Irena Szewińska and Svein Arne Hansen.

Competition format

The competition consisted of two rounds, qualification and final. In qualification, each athlete had three attempts at each height and is eliminated if she failed to clear any height. Athletes who successfully jumped the qualifying height moved on the final. If fewer than 12 reached that height, the best 12 moved on. Cleared heights were reset for the final, which followed the same three-attempts-per-height format until all athletes reach a height they can not jump.

Schedule

All times are Brasilia Time (UTC-3)

Date	Time	Round
Tuesday, 16 August 2016	09:45	Qualifications
style=background:lemonchiffon	Friday, 19 August 2016	style=background:lemonchiffon	20:30	style=background:lemonchiffon	Finals

Records

, the existing World and Olympic records were as follows.

World record		5.06 m	Zürich, Switzerland	28 August 2009
Olympic record		5.05 m	Beijing, China	18 August 2008
2016 World leading		4.93 m	Houston, USA	23 July 2016

The following national record was established during the competition:

Results

Qualifying round

Qualification rule: Qualifying performance 4.60 (Q) or at least 12 best performers (q) advance to the Final.

Rank	Group	Name	Nationality	4.15	4.30	4.45	4.55	4.60	Result	Notes
1	A	Katerina Stefanidi		–	–	–	–	o	4.60
2	A	Holly Bradshaw		–	–	o	xo	o	4.60
	A	Lisa Ryzih		–	–	–	xo	o	4.60
	B	Jennifer Suhr		–	–	–	xo	o	4.60
5	A	Eliza McCartney		–	–	xxo	xo	o	4.60
	B	Yarisley Silva		–	–	xo	xxo	o	4.60
7	B	Martina Strutz		–	o	xo	o	xo	4.60
8	A	Kelsie Ahbe		–	o	o	o	–	4.55
	A	Alana Boyd		–	–	o	o	–	4.55
	B	Nicole Büchler		–	–	o	o	–	4.55
	A	Sandi Morris		–	–	o	o	–	4.55
	B	Tina Šutej		o	o	o	o	–	4.55
13	B	Minna Nikkanen		–	o	xo	o	xxx	4.55
14	B	Angelica Bengtsson		o	o	o	xo	xxx	4.55
	A	Maryna Kylypko		o	o	o	xo	xxx	4.55
16	B	Li Ling		–	o	xo	xo	xxx	4.55
17	A	Michaela Meijer		–	o	o	xxx		4.45
	B	Alysha Newman		–	o	o	xxx		4.45
19	A	Jiřina Ptáčníková		–	o	xo	xxx		4.45
	A	Lexi Weeks		–	o	xo	xxx		4.45
21	B	Sonia Malavisi		o	o	xxo	xxx		4.45
	B	Annika Roloff		–	o	xxo	xxx		4.45
23	A	Angelica Moser		xo	xxo	xxo	xxx		4.45
24	B	Romana Maláčová		o	o	xxx			4.30
	A	Wilma Murto		–	o	xxx			4.30
	B	Marta Onofre		o	o	xxx			4.30
27	B	Tori Pena		o	xo	xxx			4.30
28	A	Vanessa Boslak		o	xxo	xxx			4.30
29	A	Joana Costa		o	xxx				4.15
	B	Annika Newell		o	xxx				4.15
	B	Diamara Planell		o	xxx				4.15
	A	Femke Pluim		o	xxx				4.15
	A	Maria Leonor Tavares		o	xxx				4.15
34	B	Iryna Yakaltsevich		xxo	xxx				4.15
	B	Fabiana Murer		–	–	–	xxx
	A	Ren Mengqian		xxx
	B	Nikoleta Kyriakopoulou
	A	Robeilys Peinado

Final

data-sort-type=number	Rank !	Name	Nationality	4.35	4.50	4.60	4.70	4.80	4.85	4.90	Result	Notes
			–	–	o	o	xo	xo	xxx	4.85
			–	o	o	xo	xo	xo	xxx	4.85
			–	o	o	o	o	xxx		4.80	=
4			–	o	o	xxo	xo	xxx		4.80
5			–	o	xo	o	xxx			4.70
6			–	o	xxo	o	x–	xx		4.70
7			–	–	xo	xxx				4.60
			–	o	xo	xxx				4.60
9			o	o	xxo	xxx				4.60
10			–	o	–	xxx				4.50
11			o	xo	xxx					4.50
12			xxo	xxo	xxx					4.50

Notes and References

1. Web site: Rio 2016 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20160826090258/https://www.rio2016.com/en/athletics-standings-at-womens-pole-vault . 2016-08-26 .