# Pole Vaulting records

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pole-vaulting-records/625813>\
**Category:** The Game Room\
**Created:** [June 21, 2012, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pole-vaulting-records/625813 "2012-06-21T03:31:17Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Reyemile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/46a35a/32.png) [@Reyemile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reyemile)\
**Post date:** [June 21, 2012, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pole-vaulting-records/625813/1 "2012-06-21T03:31:17Z")

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> **[Local g](https://xkcd.com/852/)**
>
> In Rio de Janeiro in 2016, the same jump will get an athlete 0.25% higher (\>1cm) than in London four years prior.

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.

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**Author:** ![Lamar\_Mundane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lamar\_Mundane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamar_Mundane)\
**Post date:** [June 21, 2012, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pole-vaulting-records/625813/2 "2012-06-21T04:54:52Z")

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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.

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**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\
**Post date:** [June 21, 2012, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pole-vaulting-records/625813/3 "2012-06-21T04:59:36Z")

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Moved to the Game Room.

Colibri  
General Questions Moderator

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**Author:** ![Lantern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d26b3c/32.png) [@Lantern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lantern)\
**Post date:** [June 21, 2012, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pole-vaulting-records/625813/4 "2012-06-21T05:30:15Z")

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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](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.

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**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\
**Post date:** [June 21, 2012, 8:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pole-vaulting-records/625813/5 "2012-06-21T08:06:06Z")

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

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**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\
**Post date:** [June 21, 2012, 9:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pole-vaulting-records/625813/6 "2012-06-21T09:55:41Z")

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> [@Novelty\_Bobble](#):
>
> 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!”