Track and Field News: 89-Year-Old Pole Vault Legend Passes Away After 75 Years in Sport

British-Columbian pole vaulter, Gerard Dumas has passed away at the age of 89. Having an embellished career, what Dumas achieved during his lifetime goes beyond his materialistic accomplishments. Dumas held the honor of being the French indoor champion with career-best figures of 4.53(14-10 ¼) in 1967. The deceased legendary athlete started his track and field journey when the exposure was significantly limited. 

But Dumas was unperturbed. He grabbed whatever opportunity came his way with both hands. One such astonishing example of his love for vaulting was when Dumas jumped 14 feet with a pit made of scrapped foam. Hurdles like this often blocked his path but Dumas continued on his journey that came to an end after 75 years. 

Gerard Dumas: A name etched in track and field history

Gerard Dumas has always been a creative man. When he first set his eyes on the sport in 1948, he immediately fell in love. However, as soon as the 13-year-old Dumas tried to imitate the sport, he realized that the resources needed were not enough. Getting creative, Dumas was swift to get a long hazelnut tree to use as a pole and stuck a crossbar between a couple of trees as his bar. And thus started an incredible journey that would last for 75 years. 

Dumas has been competing on the track for seventy-five long years, participating in over 1300 competitions in total. All of that would come to an end when the legendary pole vaulter breathed his last, leaving a gaping hole to fill in the track and field realm. The news was announced by an account named Pole Vault Power on X. It read, “I am sad to announce that Gerard Dumas has passed away at age 89. He participated in pole vaulting for over 75 years, over 1300 competitions total.” 

Gerard Dumas wanted to spread the sport among the younger generation and took up coaching at the YMCA. His stint as the Victoria Track & Field coach bore rich fruits as his students kept getting selected for the Olympics, Pan American, and Commonwealth Games. Strangely enough, even after achieving so much, Dumas never wanted to quit. 

Gerard Dumas once opened up about the struggles at his age

In a throwback interview published in mastertrack.com, Gerard Dumas was asked about the struggles of competing at his age. Replying in a funny manner, Dumas stated that he would be happy if he reached the stadium in any vehicle other than an ambulance. He also doubled down on the fact that at his age, Dumas did not train hard to avoid any accidents. 

When asked about when he plans to retire, the answer given by Dumas was wholesome. He said, “On the runway clinching the left side of my chest. Regretting however not being able to file that last result.” Well, even though things didn’t pan out exactly, Gerard Dumas did breathe his last while still being actively involved in the one thing he loved the most- being a pole vaulter. 

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