Pole Vaulting records

Has the study referenced in this comment ever actually been published? A quick google search didn’t turn it up, but I might have been looking for the wrong thing.

I doubt that pole vaulting is affected in any significant way by gravity. They don’t actually gain any additional lift after they release the pole. Success is almost entirely related to speed on the approach and perfect form.

Moved to the Game Room.

Colibri
General Questions Moderator

The effect of wind and altitude is probably a lot bigger than the effect of gravity. There is actually a study which looks at the impact of those two factors on different events including the pole vault (pdf).
http://home.comcast.net/~saintjohnboscooffice/images/martikean/articles/11.pdf

Anyway though the cartoon is quite funny, the premise is off. Official records are official records. Even if a study did find that vaulters gained a small advantage in some places because of gravity, it wouldn’t affect their status any more than that of Beamon’s famous long jump record in Mexico City.

Plus, that “large” group of angry athletes would actually consists of one pissed-off Ukranian arguing with himself.

Hence the punchline to the joke: “No, I’m a Ukraininan, and my name’s Sergey!”