Jenn Suhr facts for kids
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Suhr at the 2012 Olympics
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Birth name | Jennifer Lynn Stuczynski | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | February 5, 1982 Fredonia, New York, U.S. |
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| Height | 6 ft 0 in (183 cm) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 145 lb (66 kg) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spouse(s) |
Rick Suhr
(m. 2010) |
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| Sport | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country |  United States |
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| Sport | Track and field | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Event(s) | Pole vault | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Retired | 2022 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Achievements and titles | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World finals | 2008 Valencia,2016 Portland | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National finals | 2005–2016 USA | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Olympic finals | 2008 Beijing, 2012 London | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Highest world ranking | 1st (2011) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal best(s) | outdoor: 4.93 m (16 ft 2 in) (2018) indoor: 5.03 m (16 ft 6 in) (2016, WR) |
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Medal record
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| Updated on September 2, 2024. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Jennifer Lynn Suhr (born February 5, 1982), also known as Jenn Suhr, is an American former pole vaulter. She was an Olympic and World champion. Jenn was ranked the number one pole vaulter in the world. She was also the top American pole vaulter from 2006. She won 17 US National Championships (7 indoor and 10 outdoor).
Jenn holds the world indoor pole vault record, clearing 5.03 m (16 ft 6 in). She also holds the American women's indoor pole vault record. In 2008, she won the U.S. Olympic trials and set an American record of 4.92 m (16 ft 2 in). She then won a silver medal at the Beijing Olympics. On August 6, 2012, she won the gold medal at the London Olympics.
Contents
About Jenn Suhr
Jenn Suhr was born to Mark and Sue Stuczynski in Fredonia, New York. Her family owned a grocery store. Jenn started playing sports at a young age. She played softball when she was six. At nine, she played in an adult golf league with her grandfather.
High School Sports
At Fredonia High School, Jenn played many sports. She was on the softball, basketball, soccer, and track and field teams. In her senior year (2000), she won the New York State pentathlon title. A pentathlon is a competition with five different sports events.
College Life
Jenn went to Roberts Wesleyan University in Rochester, New York. There, she played basketball and competed in track and field. In the 2003–04 basketball season, she scored an average of 24.3 points per game. She led her team to the national championship game. Jenn finished her college basketball career as the school's all-time leading scorer with 1,819 points.
Family Life
On January 3, 2010, Jenn married her coach, Rick Suhr, in Rochester.
Jenn Suhr's Pole Vaulting Journey
Jenn started pole vaulting with her coach, Rick Suhr, in 2004.
Early Success (2005-2007)
In 2005, Jenn Stuczynski was not well-known. She entered the USA Indoor Championships in Boston. She had only trained for 10 months but won the US title! She set three personal bests, clearing 4.35 m (14 ft 3.13484252 in). Later that year, she won the national indoor pole vault title.
In 2006, Jenn became the second-best American pole vaulter ever. She cleared 4.68 m (15 ft 4 in). She won her first USA Outdoor title by clearing 4.55 m (14 ft 11 in). She also finished third at the 2006 World Athletics Final.
In 2007, Jenn won the USA Indoor Track & Field Championships. On May 20, 2007, she broke the American outdoor pole vault record. She cleared 4.84 m (15 ft 11 in). This beat the old record by one centimeter. Two weeks later, she broke her own record again! She cleared 4.88 m (16 ft 0 in). This made her the second-highest vaulter in history, after Yelena Isinbayeva from Russia.
Olympic Dreams (2008)
In 2008, Jenn won the Indoor U.S. Nationals. This qualified her for the World Indoor Championships in Spain. She finished second, tying with Yelena Isinbayeva at 4.75 m (15 ft 7 in).
On May 18, 2008, Jenn broke her American record again, clearing 4.90 m (16 ft 1 in). The U.S. Olympic Committee named her their female athlete of the month for May. At the U.S. Olympic Trials on July 6, 2008, she won and broke her American record one more time, clearing 4.92 m (16 ft 2 in).
At the Olympics in Beijing on August 18, 2008, Jenn finished second. She cleared 4.80 m (15 ft 9 in). Yelena Isinbayeva won gold and set a new world record. Jenn earned a silver medal.
Continued Success (2009-2012)
In 2009, Jenn set a new American indoor record by clearing 15 ft 9.75 in (4.82 m). She won her seventh US Title by breaking her own American record again, clearing 15 ft 10 in (4.83 m). She also won another American outdoor title. However, she had to miss the 2009 world championships due to an Achilles tendon injury.
In 2010, Jenn won her fifth straight US outdoor title. She cleared 4.89 m (16 ft 1 in), which was the best mark by any woman vaulter that year.
In 2011, Jenn won her tenth national title overall. She cleared 4.86 m (15 ft 11 in) at the indoor event. She also cleared 4.91 m (16 ft 1 in) in Rochester, New York. This was the highest vault of the year. She finished fourth at the world championships in South Korea. Track & Field News ranked Jenn the number one women's pole vaulter in the world for 2011.
In 2012, Jenn started the year with an American record of 4.88 m. This made her the second-highest female vaulter of all time. On June 24, she won the Olympic Trials to qualify for her second Olympic Games. On August 6, 2012, Jenn Suhr won the gold medal at the Olympic Games in London! She tied with Cuba's Yarisley Silva but won based on fewer missed attempts.
World Record and Retirement (2013-2022)
On March 2, 2013, Jenn Suhr broke Yelena Isinbayeva's world indoor record. She cleared 5.02m (16 ft. 5.5 in.), becoming only the second woman in history to vault over 5 meters. She won the 2013 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships and earned a silver medal at the 2013 World Championships.
In 2014, Jenn won the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. In 2015, she won the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships again.
On January 30, 2016, Jenn broke her own women's indoor pole vault world record. She jumped 5.03 m (16 ft 5.90649607 in). She then won the gold medal at the 2016 World Indoor Championships. This was a new meet record. Jenn won the 2016 USA Olympic Trials and competed in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio. She finished seventh due to an illness before the competition.
Jenn Suhr announced her retirement in June 2022. During her career, she won 17 USA National Championships. This included 7 indoor and 10 outdoor titles. She won almost every outdoor national championship from 2006 to 2016.
Awards and Recognition
Track & Field News magazine named Jenn Suhr the American Female Athlete of the Year for 2008. This is a big honor! She was only the second female pole vaulter to win this award.
See also
