Great Britain’s Kate Dennison was almost certainly overshadowed by her compatriots at Olympic Stadium on Saturday. And for the pole vaulter, that was probably a good thing.
While Great Britain’s Jessica Ennis, Mo Farah and Greg Rutherford dazzled the crowd, taking gold in the heptathlon, 10,000 meters and men’s long jump, respectively, Dennison literally crashed on a pole vault attempt.
Trying to clear 14 feet, 4 inches (4.40 meters) during qualifying, Dennison planted her pole, but instead of flying upward, she flew backward, crashing onto the hard track.
Dennison at least went airborne, if only slightly. Ukraine’s Ganna Shelekh never even made it off the ground.
Shelekh, also trying to clear 14-4, had the pole slip out of her hands before she could even plant it.
The pole vault competition allows three attempts at each height, but Dennison and Shelekh both hit the wall at 14-4.
The qualifiers for the pole vault final, meanwhile, all cleared 14 feet, 9 inches (4.55 meters), including Americans Jennifer Suhr and Becky Holliday and the two-time defending gold medalist from Russia, Elena Isinbaeva.
by: Ellen J. Horrow
from: http://tucsoncitizen.com/usa-today-sports/2012/08/04/ouch-pole-vaulters-come-up-woefully-short/
