Earlier today, Kebba posted the subject line,  Birmingham: W PV WR - 4.77,
without additional details. This would have referred to Svetlana
Feofanova's winning mark at this meet.

In a later exchange on the VaultCanada mailing list, I took exception to
the description of this result, by VaultnGus, as a "World Record."

Specifically,

Sorry, Gus. The WPV World Record is 4.81 by Stacy Dragila at Palo Alto on 9
June 2001. For the last two years, the IAAF has done its best to screw up
the distinction between indoor and outdoor records by permitting indoor
marks to supercede outdoor marks as "absolute" world records, but there's
nothing in that to make Feofanova's 4.77 more than an "Indoor World
Record," or, in historical terms, "World Indoor Best."

Feofanova seems far more interested in the financial benefits of raising
her PB by a centimeter, than by vaulting the best she can at any time in
her career. Did she try any height after bettering her indoor best in the
Birmingham meet? I think the test will come when/if she has to look at a
minimum 5cm raise when she no longer is the only vaulter left in a
competition. I also think Dragila is far more experienced in rising to that
challenge. My money's on Stacy (but, of course, those are only Canadian
dollars, at par with 65 cents U.S.).

My two cents' worth (1.32 cents U.S.).

Cheers





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