How Many Tries Do Olympic Pole Vaulters Get? What Are the Scoring Rules?

Unlike many other sports, pole vault doesn’t crush athletes’ dreams for one fumble. Instead, pole vaulters get three attempts to clear a height. Adding more to the pot of high jump, this sport also poses the same challenge for the participants: to jump over the high crossbar without touching it. With the rules of the sport still somewhat confusing to many, here are the basics that will help you get a better grasp of the regulations for pole vaulting.

According to a comprehensive article by Red Bull from April this year,  athletes who fail to clear the height in three consecutive attempts, are disqualified from the competition. However, the point to note here is that an athlete can choose to skip a round or pass on to the next height. While isn’t advised, it does help for a pole vaulter to steady themselves when an unprecedented setback occurs.

The number of attempts an athlete takes also plays a major role in deciding the winner of the tournament. In case of a tie, the jumper with the least number of attempts is declared the winner. While it’s important to know the rules of the game, it’s also necessary to understand how physics is a major aspect of pole vaulting for an athlete to succeed.

Athletes use a fiberglass or carbon fiber pole and run toward the height bar, gathering kinetic energy. Nearing the crossbar, vaulters have to place the pole in a pit which is known as the vault box in order to transfer their momentum into the apparatus. The athlete who clears the highest bar is generally the winner of the tournament.

Along with keeping pace with the dynamic rules of the game, vaulters also have to make sure their equipment adheres to the guidelines to prioritize safety and fairness. While there’s no set standard for the vaulting pole, athletes need to ensure that their equipment can support their body weight. However, hand zones are clearly marked on the pole, and holding it above the marked zone can result in a failed attempt verdict by the judges. Now that the regulations are somewhat covered, let’s take a look at the most prominent pole vaulters who continue to entertain fans with their scintillating performances.

Icons like Mondo Duplantis make pole vaulting a joy to watch

Swedish-American pole vaulter Mondo Duplantis is considered the greatest name to have ever graced the sport. The LSU star first cleared the 6.00m height at the 2018 U20 World Championships, which he went on to win. Since then, he has broken records at his will and is also the current world record holder in both indoor (6.24m) and outdoor (6.22m) formats. The reigning Olympic champion and two-time World Championships gold medalist also hosts the Mondo Classic in the quaint city of Upsala in Sweden, where the world’s top stars vie to showcase their skills with the vaulting pole. So far, he’s yet to be beaten on his home turf.

With more than 60 above-6-meter jumps in his career, Duplantis is a shining example of what the sport entails and how enthralling things can get. Naturally, it wasn’t at all surprising when the 24-year-old broke his record for a staggering 9th time at the Paris Olympics to win the men’s pole vault gold by clearing a mindboggling height of 6.25m.

How good is Mondo Duplantis? How do you think he will continue to set new benchmarks in the sport of pole vaulting in the coming days? Tell us!