Sergey Bubka facts for kids

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Sergey Bubka
HOU OS

Bubka in 2013
Personal information
Native name	Сергій Назарович Бубка
Full name	Serhiy Nazarovych Bubka
Nationality	Ukrainian
Born	(1963-12-04) 4 December 1963 (age 61) Luhansk, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union
Education	PhD in pedagogy, physical culture
Alma mater	Ukrainian Academy of Pedagogical Science, Kyiv State Institute of Physical Culture
Years active	1981–2001
Height	1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Weight	80 kg (176 lb)
Chair of the NOC of Ukraine
In office 23 June 2005 – 17 November 2022
Preceded by	Viktor Yanukovych
Succeeded by	Vadym Gutzeit
Sport
Country	Soviet Union (1981–1991)  Ukraine (1991–2001)
Sport	Athletics
Event(s)	Pole vault
Turned pro	1981
Coached by	Vitaly Petrov (first coach)
Retired	2001
Medal record Men's athletics Event 1st 2nd 3rd Olympic Games 1 0 0 World Championships 6 0 0 World Indoor Championships 4 0 0 European Championships 1 0 0 European Indoor Championships 1 0 0 Goodwill Games 1 0 1 IAAF Grand Prix Final 7 1 1 IAAF World Cup 1 0 0 European Cup 1 1 0 Representing the  Soviet Union Olympic Games Gold 1988 Seoul Pole vault World Championships Representing the  Soviet Union Gold 1983 Helsinki Pole vault Gold 1987 Rome Pole vault Gold 1991 Tokyo Pole vault Representing  Ukraine Gold 1993 Stuttgart Pole vault Gold 1995 Gothenburg Pole vault Gold 1997 Athens Pole vault World Indoor Championships Representing the  Soviet Union Gold 1985 Paris Pole vault Gold 1987 Indianapolis Pole vault Gold 1991 Sevilla Pole vault Representing  Ukraine Gold 1995 Barcelona Pole vault European Championships Representing the  Soviet Union Gold 1986 Stuttgart Pole vault European Indoor Championships Representing the  Soviet Union Gold 1985 Athens Pole vault Goodwill Games Representing the  Soviet Union Gold 1986 Moscow Pole vault Representing  Ukraine Bronze 1994 Saint Petersburg Pole vault IAAF Grand Prix Final Representing the  Soviet Union Gold 1985 Rome Pole vault Gold 1987 Brussels Pole vault Gold 1991 Barcelona Pole vault Gold 1991 Barcelona Overall Bronze 1987 Brussels Overall Representing  Ukraine Gold 1993 London Pole vault Gold 1993 London Overall Gold 1997 Fukuoka Pole vault Silver 1995 Monaco Pole vault IAAF World Cup Representing the  Soviet Union Gold 1985 Canberra Pole vault European Cup Representing the  Soviet Union Gold 1985 Moscow Pole vault Representing  Ukraine Silver 1993 Rome Pole vault
Updated on 8 September 2012.

Serhiy Bubka is a famous Ukrainian former pole vaulter. He was born on December 4, 1963. He competed for the Soviet Union until 1991, then for Ukraine. Bubka was named Athlete of the Year twice by Track & Field News. In 2012, he joined the International Association of Athletics Federations Hall of Fame.

Bubka won six world championships and an Olympic gold medal. He broke the world record for men's pole vault an amazing 35 times! He was the first pole vaulter to jump over 6.0 meters and 6.10 meters.

He held the indoor world record of 6.15 meters for almost 21 years. He set this record on February 21, 1993, in Donetsk, Ukraine. His outdoor world record was 6.14 meters, set on July 31, 1994. This record stood for over 26 years.

Bubka is a Senior Vice President of World Athletics. He also led the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine from 2005 to 2022. He is an Honorary Member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). His older brother, Vasiliy Bubka, was also a successful pole vaulter.

About Serhiy Bubka

Serhiy Bubka was born in Luhansk. He started as a track-and-field athlete, trying the 100-meter dash and long jump. He became a world champion when he focused on the pole vault. In 1983, he won the world championship in Helsinki, Finland. The next year, he set his first world record, jumping 5.85 meters.

He competed for Soviet teams until 1991. After that, he signed a contract with Nike. This deal gave him special bonuses for each new world record he set.

His son, Sergei Bubka, is a former professional tennis player.

From 2002 to 2006, Bubka was a member of the Ukrainian parliament, called the Verkhovna Rada. He worked on committees related to youth, physical culture, sport, and tourism. In March 2022, he shared his love for his home country, Ukraine, saying: "Ukraine will win."

Amazing Sporting Career

Serhiy Bubka began his international career in 1981. He finished seventh at the European Junior Championship. His big breakthrough came at the 1983 World Championship in Helsinki. There, a less-known Bubka won gold, clearing 5.70 meters. The years that followed showed Bubka's incredible skill. He kept setting new records in pole vaulting.

He set his first world record of 5.85 meters on May 26, 1984. He quickly improved it to 5.88 meters a week later. Then, a month after that, he jumped 5.90 meters. On July 13, 1985, in Paris, he became the first person to clear 6.00 meters. Bubka continued to break his own record for the next 10 years. His best jump and world record was 6.14 meters in 1994. He used UCS Spirit poles for most of his later career.

He was the first athlete to jump over 6.10 meters. This happened in San Sebastián, Spain, in 1991. Bubka raised the world record by 21 centimeters between 1984 and 1994. He cleared 6.00 meters or higher 45 times!

Bubka officially stopped competing in pole vault in 2001. He had a special ceremony at his "Pole Vault Stars" event in Donetsk.

Olympic Challenges

Bubka's first chance at the Olympics was in 1984. However, the Soviet Union boycotted those games. In 1988, Bubka competed in the Seoul Olympics. He won his only Olympic gold medal there, clearing 5.90 meters.

At the Barcelona Olympics in 1992, he failed to clear the bar in his first three tries. This meant he was out of the competition. In 1996, at the Atlanta Olympics, he had to pull out because of a heel injury. He didn't even get to make any attempts. Finally, at the Sydney Olympics in 2000, he was eliminated from the final. This happened after three unsuccessful attempts at 5.70 meters.

World Championship Wins

Bubka won the pole vault event at six IAAF World Championships in Athletics in a row. This amazing streak lasted from 1983 to 1997.

How Bubka Broke Records

Bubka broke the world record for men's pole vault 35 times. He set 17 outdoor world records and 18 indoor world records. He only lost his outdoor world record once. This happened on August 31, 1984, when Thierry Vigneron of France broke it. But Bubka quickly took the record back minutes later on the same day!

Outdoor Records

Height	Date	Place
6.14 m (20 ft 1+11⁄16 in)	31 July 1994	Sestriere
6.13 m (20 ft 1+5⁄16 in)	19 September 1992	Tokyo
6.12 m (20 ft +7⁄8 in)	30 August 1992	Padua
6.11 m (20 ft +5⁄8 in)	13 June 1992	Dijon
6.10 m (20 ft +3⁄16 in)	5 August 1991	Malmö
6.09 m (19 ft 11+13⁄16 in)	8 July 1991	Formia
6.08 m (19 ft 11+3⁄8 in)	9 June 1991	Moscow
6.07 m (19 ft 11 in)	6 May 1991	Shizuoka
6.06 m (19 ft 10+5⁄8 in)	10 July 1988	Nice
6.05 m (19 ft 10+3⁄16 in)	9 June 1988	Bratislava
6.03 m (19 ft 9+3⁄8 in)	23 June 1987	Prague
6.01 m (19 ft 8+5⁄8 in)	8 June 1986	Moscow
6.00 m (19 ft 8+3⁄16 in)	13 June 1985	Paris
5.94 m (19 ft 5+7⁄8 in)	31 August 1984	Rome
5.90 m (19 ft 4+5⁄16 in)	13 July 1984	London
5.88 m (19 ft 3+1⁄2 in)	2 June 1984	Paris
5.85 m (19 ft 2+5⁄16 in)	26 May 1984	Bratislava

Indoor Records

Height	Date	Place
6.15 m (20 ft 2+1⁄8 in)	21 February 1993	Donetsk
6.14 m (20 ft 1+11⁄16 in)	13 February 1993	Lievin
6.13 m (20 ft 1+5⁄16 in)	22 February 1992	Berlin
6.12 m (20 ft +7⁄8 in)	23 March 1991	Grenoble
6.11 m (20 ft +5⁄8 in)	19 March 1991	Donetsk
6.10 m (20 ft +3⁄16 in)	15 March 1991	San Sebastián
6.08 m (19 ft 11+3⁄8 in)	9 February 1991	Volgograd
6.05 m (19 ft 10+3⁄16 in)	17 March 1990	Donetsk
6.03 m (19 ft 9+3⁄8 in)	11 February 1989	Osaka
5.97 m (19 ft 7 in)	17 March 1987	Turin
5.96 m (19 ft 6+5⁄8 in)	15 January 1987	Osaka
5.95 m (19 ft 6+5⁄16 in)	28 February 1986	New York City
5.94 m (19 ft 5+7⁄8 in)	21 February 1986	Inglewood
5.92 m (19 ft 5+1⁄8 in)	8 February 1986	Moscow
5.87 m (19 ft 3+1⁄8 in)	15 January 1986	Osaka
5.83 m (19 ft 1+1⁄2 in)	10 February 1984	Inglewood
5.82 m (19 ft 1+1⁄8 in)	1 February 1984	Milan
5.81 m (19 ft +11⁄16 in)	15 January 1984	Vilnius

Bubka's Pole Vault Technique

A statue of Sergey Bubka in Donetsk.

Bubka used a special way to hold the pole. He gripped it higher than most other vaulters. This gave him extra power, though he said it wasn't just about the grip.

His coach, Vitaly Petrov, helped him create a unique technique. This method allowed Bubka to keep pushing energy into the pole as he rose. Most other pole vaulters focused on bending the pole a lot right when they took off. Bubka's method, like that of Kjell Isaksson, focused on driving the pole upwards. He combined this with a very fast running speed. This technique helped him use the pole's springiness to gain even more height during his swing.

Awards and Recognition

Serhiy Bubka received many awards for his amazing career:

• L'Équipe Champion of Champions (1985)
• European Sportsperson of the Year (1985)
• Track & Field News Athlete of the Year (1988)
• Track & Field News Athlete of the Year (1991)
• United Press International Athlete of the Year Award (1991)
• Laureus World Sports Awards discretionary award winner (2008)

See also

In Spanish: Serguéi Bubka para niños

• 6 meters club