Athletics at the 2008 Summer Olympics – Women's pole vault

Women's pole vault at the Games of the XXIX Olympiad
Venue	Beijing National Stadium
Dates	16 August 2008 (qualification) 18 August 2008 (final)
Competitors	36 from 24 nations
Winning height	5.05 m WR
Medalists
Yelena Isinbayeva   Russia   Jennifer Stuczynski   United States   Svetlana Feofanova   Russia

Official Video Highlights

Athletics at the 2008 Summer Olympics
Track events
100 m		men		women
200 m		men		women
400 m		men		women
800 m		men		women
1500 m		men		women
5000 m		men		women
10,000 m		men		women
100 m hurdles				women
110 m hurdles		men
400 m hurdles		men		women
3000 m steeplechase		men		women
4 × 100 m relay		men		women
4 × 400 m relay		men		women
Road events
Marathon		men		women
20 km walk		men		women
50 km walk		men
Field events
Long jump		men		women
Triple jump		men		women
High jump		men		women
Pole vault		men		women
Shot put		men		women
Discus throw		men		women
Javelin throw		men		women
Hammer throw		men		women
Combined events
Heptathlon				women
Decathlon		men

The women's pole vault at the 2008 Summer Olympics took place between August 16 and 18 at the Beijing National Stadium.^[1]

The qualifying standards were 4.45 m (A standard) and 4.30 m (B standard).^[2]

The final was won by Yelena Isinbayeva, who set a new world record height of 5.05 meters for the discipline.

During the finals, one of the poles which Brazilian Fabiana Murer would use disappeared, causing her to spend 10–15 minutes trying to get it back.^[3] The lost time and having to use another pole led her to bad results. Murer complained about the organization,^[4] and would only return to China 7 years later at the 2015 World Championships in Athletics, this time winning a silver medal.^[5]

Records

Prior to this competition, the existing world and Olympic records were as follows:

World record	Yelena Isinbayeva (RUS)	5.04	Monaco, Monaco	29 July 2008
Olympic record	Yelena Isinbayeva (RUS)	4.91	Athens, Greece	24 August 2004

The following new world and Olympic records were set during this competition.

Date	Event	Name	Nationality	Height	Notes
18 August	Final	Yelena Isinbayeva	Russia	5.05	WR

Results

Key

Qualifying round

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

Rank	Group	Name	Nationality	4.00	4.15	4.30	4.40	4.50	4.60	Result	Notes[6]
1	A	Yelena Isinbayeva	Russia	–	–	–	–	–	o	4.60	Q
2	B	Vanessa Boslak	France	–	o	o	o	o	–	4.50	q, =SB
2	A	Gao Shuying	China	–	–	o	o	o	–	4.50	q
2	B	Fabiana Murer	Brazil	–	–	–	o	o	–	4.50	q
2	B	Jennifer Stuczynski	United States	–	–	–	–	o	–	4.50	q
6	A	Svetlana Feofanova	Russia	–	–	–	xo	o	–	4.50	q
6	A	April Steiner Bennett	United States	–	–	xo	o	o	–	4.50	q
8	A	Monika Pyrek	Poland	–	–	–	o	xo	–	4.50	q
8	B	Anna Rogowska	Poland	–	–	–	o	xo	–	4.50	q
10	B	Yuliya Golubchikova	Russia	–	–	o	xo	xo	–	4.50	q
10	A	Carolin Hingst	Germany	–	o	xo	o	xo	–	4.50	q
12	B	Silke Spiegelburg	Germany	–	–	xxo	o	xo	–	4.50	q
13	A	Naroa Agirre	Spain	o	o	o	xo	xxx		4.40	=SB
14	A	Anastasija Reiberger	Germany	–	o	xo	xo	xxx		4.40
15	B	Kate Dennison	Great Britain	xo	xo	xo	xxo	xxx		4.40	=PB
16	B	Alana Boyd	Australia	–	–	o	xxx			4.30
16	B	Roslinda Samsu	Malaysia	o	o	o	xxx			4.30	=SB
18	B	Kelsie Hendry	Canada	–	–	xo	xxx			4.30
19	A	Joanna Piwowarska	Poland	xo	o	xo	xxx			4.30
19	A	Afrodíti Skafída	Greece	–	xo	xo	xxx			4.30
19	A	Sandra-Helena Tavares	Portugal	o	xo	xo	xxx			4.30
22	B	Nicole Büchler	Switzerland	xxo	o	xxo	xxx			4.30
23	A	Marion Buisson	France	o	o	xx				4.15
23	B	Thórey Edda Elisdóttir	Iceland	–	o	xxx				4.15
25	B	Zhou Yang	China	xo	o	xxx				4.15
26	B	Krisztina Molnár	Hungary	xxo	o	xxx				4.15
27	A	Natalya Kushch	Ukraine	–	xxo	–	xxx			4.15
27	B	Nikoléta Kiriakopoúlou	Greece	–	xxo	xxx				4.15
27	A	Li Ling	China	–	xxo	xxx				4.15
27	A	Yarisley Silva	Cuba	–	xxo	xxx				4.15
31	A	Alejandra García	Argentina	xxo	xxo	xxx				4.15
32	A	Leila Ben Youssef	Tunisia	xo	xxx					4.00
32	A	Vanessa Vandy	Finland	xo	xxx					4.00
34	B	Anna Fitídou	Cyprus	xxo	xxx					4.00
99 !	B	Kateřina Baďurová	Czech Republic	xxx						0.00 !NM
99 !	B	Erica Bartolina	United States	–	–	xxx				0.00 !NM

WR – World Record / =SB – Equal Season Best / PB – Personal Best / SB – Season Best

Final

The final was held on August 18.

Rank	Name	Nationality	4.30	4.45	4.55	4.65	4.70	4.75	4.80	4.85	4.90	4.95	5.00	5.05	Result	Notes[7]
01 !	Yelena Isinbayeva	Russia	–	–	–	–	o	–	–	o	–	xxo	–	xxo	5.05	WR
02 !	Jennifer Stuczynski	United States	–	–	o	–	o	xo	o	–	xxx				4.80
03 !	Svetlana Feofanova	Russia	–	o	o	xo	–	o	xxx						4.75	SB
4	Yulia Golubchikova	Russia	–	o	o	xo	o	xo	xxx						4.75	PB
5	Monika Pyrek	Poland	–	o	o	o	xo	xxx							4.70
6	Carolin Hingst	Germany	o	o	o	xxo	xxx								4.65	SB
7	Silke Spiegelburg	Germany	o	xo	o	xxo	xxx								4.65
8	April Steiner Bennett	United States	o	o	o	xxx									4.55
9	Vanessa Boslak	France	o	o	xo	xxx									4.55	SB
10	Fabiana Murer	Brazil	–	o	–	xxx									4.45
10	Anna Rogowska	Poland	–	o	xxx										4.45
12	Gao Shuying	China	o	xxo	xxx										4.45

WR – World Record / =SB – Equal Season Best / PB – Personal Best / SB – Season Best

References