Pole Vault
Final: Friday, 5:15pm local time (6:15pm ET) Standards: ‘A’ – 5.70m, ‘B’ – 5.60m
Veteran Brad Walker (Nike), the 2007 world champion, looks like the favorite to retain his US title. His main competition comes from three collegians, the oldest of which is nine years younger than Walker. Those are Sam Kendricks (Ole Miss), the NCAA outdoor champion; Andrew Irwin (Arkansas), the NCAA indoor champion, and Jack Whitt (Oral Roberts), the NCAA runner-up both indoors and out. All four of these vaulters have already achieved the ‘A’ standard.
The pole vault is a fickle master, though, it’s possible and even likely that some ‘B’-qualified athlete will sneak into the top three and get a spot on the Worlds team. Among those with the ‘B’ are a long list of college kids plus Jordan Scott (PowerBar), a wily journeyman who won this year’s USATF indoor title.
Canada has just one vaulter who has met the standard, Akron freshman Shawn Barber. The 2012 bronze medalists at the World Juniors broke the Canadian record earlier this year but is still looking for his first national championship. more
