The pole vault at the World Athletics Championships has been contested by men since 1983 and women since 1999. The competition format typically has one qualifying round contested by two groups of athletes, with all those clearing the qualifying height or placing in top twelve overall advancing to the final round.
The United States is the most successful nation in the event, winning a total of 17 medals, including 7 golds. Russia is the second-most successful nation, with 14 medals in total and 5 golds. The Soviet Union, Ukraine and Australia are the only two other nations that have won more than 2 gold medals. France is the most successful nation to have never won a gold medal, with 4 silvers and 5 bronzes, all in the men's event.
Sergey Bubka is the most successful athlete in the event, winning 6 gold medals in a row between the inaugural edition in 1983 and 1997. His 6 gold medals are more than any athlete has won in an individual event in World Athletics Championships history. Yelena Isinbayeva is the most successful athlete on the women's side, winning 3 gold and 1 bronze medal between 2003 and 2013. Four athletes have won two world titles: Sam Kendricks and Armand Duplantis on the men's side, and Stacy Dragila and Katie Moon on the women's side.
The championship records for the event are 6.21 for men, set by Armand Duplantis in 2022, and 5.01 m for women, set by Yelena Isinbayeva in 2005. The world record has been broken three times total at the World Championships: the men's record by Duplantis in 2022, and the women's record by Dragila and Isinbayeva in 1999 and 2005 respectively.
Age records All information from World Athletics. DistinctionMale FemaleAthleteAgeDateAthleteAgeDateYoungest champion 19 years, 253 days 14 Aug 1983 23 years, 40 days 25 Aug 2003Youngest medalist 19 years, 253 days 14 Aug 1983 19 years, 253 days 6 Aug 2017Youngest finalist17 years, 271 days8 Aug 201719 years, 253 days6 Aug 2017Youngest participant 16 years, 253 days 22 Aug 2015 16 years, 306 days 26 Aug 2007Oldest champion 33 years, 249 days 10 Aug 1997 31 years, 71 days 13 Aug 2013Oldest medalist 35 years, 300 days 12 Aug 2013 31 years, 189 days 26 Aug 2015Oldest finalist39 years, 362 days15 Sept 202537 years, 236 days29 Sep 2019Oldest participant 39 years, 362 days 15 Sept 2025 38 years, 143 days 15 Aug 2009
Medalists
Men
Multiple medalists Rank Athlete Nation PeriodGoldSilverBronze Total 1 1983–1997 6 0 0 62 Armand Duplantis 2019-2025 3 1 0 4 3 2017–2019 2 0 0 2 4 1991–1999 1 2 2 5 5 1999–2001 1 1 0 2 2005–2007 1 1 0 2 2013–2015 1 1 0 2 8 2011–2015 1 0 1 2 9 2009–2017 0 1 4 510 2015–2019 0 1 2 3 11 1999–2001 0 1 1 2Christopher Nilsen 2022-2023 0 1 1 2Ernest John Obiena 2022-2023 0 1 1 214 2023–2025 0 0 2 2
Medals by country Rank NationGoldSilverBronze Total 1 3 2 3 8 2 3 1 2 6 3 3 1 1 5 4 3 0 0 35 2 1 2 5 6 1 2 3 6 7 1 1 3 5 8 1 1 2 4 9 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 12 0 4 5 9 13 0 1 1 2 0 1 1 2 0 1 1 2 0 1 1 2 17 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 20 0 0 1 1
Women
Multiple medalists Rank Athlete Nation PeriodGoldSilverBronze Total 1 2003–2013 3 0 1 42Katie Moon2022-20253003 3 1999–2001 2 0 0 2 4 2001–2011 1 1 2 4 5 2011–2015 1 1 0 2 6 2013–2015 1 0 2 3 7 2017–2019 1 0 1 2Nina Kennedy2022-20231012 9 2017–2025 0 4 0 3 10 2001–2009 0 2 1 3
Medals by country Rank NationGoldSilverBronze Total 1 5 6 0 1124138 3 1 2 1 4 4 1 1 0 251011 6 1 0 2 3102381001 9 0 2 0 2 10 0 1 1 211 0 1 0 112 0 0 1 100110011
Championship record progression
Men +Men's pole vault World Championships record progressionMain > Men's Pole Vault > World Championships Records Progression. Track and Field Brinkster. Retrieved on 2024-10-08.MarkAthleteNationYearRoundDate5.40 mSergey Bubka1983Final1983-08-14Konstantin Volkov1983Final1983-08-14Władysław Kozakiewicz1983Final1983-08-14Thierry Vigneron1983Final1983-08-14Frantisek Jansa1983Final1983-08-14Miro Zalar1983Final1983-08-14Tom Hintnaus1983Final1983-08-14Felix Bohni1983Final1983-08-14Vladimir Polyakov1983Final1983-08-14Tadeusz Slusarski1983Final1983-08-14Jeff Buckingham1983Final1983-08-14Veijo Vannesluoma1983Final1983-08-145.50 mSergey Bubka1983Final1983-08-14Tom Hintnaus1983Final1983-08-14Atanas Tarev1983Final1983-08-14Patrick Abada1983Final1983-08-14Miro Zalar1983Final1983-08-145.55 mTadeusz Slusarski1983Final1983-08-145.60 mKonstantin Volkov1983Final1983-08-14Atanas Tarev1983Final1983-08-14Sergey Bubka1983Final1983-08-145.70 mSergey Bubka1983Final1983-08-14Nikolay Nikolov1987Final1987-09-05Thierry Vigneron1987Final1987-09-05Sergey Bubka1987Final1987-09-05Rodion Gataulin1987Final1987-09-05Marian Kolasa1987Final1987-09-055.80 mRodion Gataulin1987Final1987-09-05Thierry Vigneron1987Final1987-09-05Marian Kolasa1987Final1987-09-055.85 mSergey Bubka1987Final1987-09-055.90 mIstvan Bagyula1991Final1991-08-295.95 mSergey Bubka1991Final1991-08-296.00 mSergey Bubka1993Final1993-08-196.01 mSergey Bubka1997Final1997-08-106.02 mMaksim Tarasov1999Final1999-08-266.05 mDmitriy Markov2001Final2001-08-096.06 mArmand Duplantis2022Final2022-07-246.21 m Armand Duplantis2022Final2022-07-246.30 m Armand Duplantis2025Final2025-09-15
Women +Women's pole vault World Championships record progressionMain > Women's pole vault > World Championships Records Progression. Track and Field Brinkster. Retrieved on 2024-10-08.TimeAthleteNationYearRoundDate4.40 mNicole Humbert1999Final1999-08-21Zsuzsanna Szabo1999Final1999-08-21Stacy Dragila1999Final1999-08-21Pavla Hamackova1999Final1999-08-21Daniela Bartova1999Final1999-08-214.45 mTatiana Grigorieva1999Final1999-08-21Anzhela Balakhonova1999Final1999-08-21Stacy Dragila1999Final1999-08-214.50 mAnzhela Balakhonova1999Final1999-08-21Stacy Dragila1999Final1999-08-214.55 mAnzhela Balakhonova1999Final1999-08-21Stacy Dragila1999Final1999-08-214.60 m Stacy Dragila1999Final1999-08-214.60 mStacy Dragila2001Final2001-08-06Svetlana Feofanova2001Final2001-08-064.65 mStacy Dragila2001Final2001-08-06Svetlana Feofanova2001Final2001-08-064.70 mStacy Dragila2001Final2001-08-06Svetlana Feofanova2001Final2001-08-064.75 mSvetlana Feofanova2001Final2003-08-25Stacy Dragila2001Final2001-08-06Svetlana Feofanova2001Final2003-08-255.01 m Yelena Isinbayeva2005Final2005-08-12
Best performances
Top ten highest World Championship vaults1
+ Highest men's vaults at the World ChampionshipsRankHeight(m)AthleteNationYearDate 1 6.30 m Armand Duplantis 2025 2025-09-15 2 6.21 m Armand Duplantis 2022 2022-07-24 3 6.10 m Armand Duplantis 2023 2023-08-26 4 6.05 m Dmitri Markov 2001 2001-08-09 5 6.02 m Maksim Tarasov 1999 1999-08-26 6 6.01 m Sergey Bubka 1997 1997-08-10 7 6.00 m Sergey Bubka 1993 1993-08-19EJ Obiena 2023 2023-08-26Emmanouil Karalis 2025 2025-09-15 10 5.97 m Sam Kendricks 2019 2019-10-01Armand Duplantis 2019 2019-10-01
+ Highest women's vaults at the World ChampionshipsRankHeight (m)AthleteNationYearDate 1 5.01 m Yelena Isinbayeva 2005 2005-08-12 2 4.95 m Anzhelika Sidorova 2019 2019-09-29 3 4.91 m Katerina Stefanidi 2017 2017-08-06 4 4.90 m Yarisley Silva 2015 2015-08-26Sandi Morris 2019 2019-09-29Nina Kennedy 2023 2023-08-23Katie Moon 2023 2023-08-23Katie Moon 2025 2025-09-17 9 4.89 m Yelena Isinbayeva 2013 2013-08-13 10 4.85 m Fabiana Murer 2011 2011-08-30Fabiana Murer 2015 2015-08-26Katerina Stefanidi 2019 2019-09-29Katie Moon 2022 2022-07-17Sandi Morris 2022 2022-07-17Sandi Morris 2025 2025-09-17 1Does not include ancillary marks
See also Pole vault Pole vault at the Olympics
References
Bibliography
External links Official World Athletics website