Harry Babcock began his career as a long jumper, placing third at the IC4As in 1909. He won the AAU pole vault in 1910 and 1912 and the IC4A title in 1911. Marc Wright set a new world record of 13-2¼ (4.02) at the 1912 Olympic Trials, but in Stockholm, Babcock…
The precise origin of pole vaulting isn’t known. It was likely discovered independently in a variety of cultures as a way of surmounting physical obstacles, such as streams or irrigation ditches. Egyptian relief sculptures from approximately 2500 B.C. depict warriors using poles to surmount enemy walls. The first known pole…
