Hooker wins dramatic pole vault

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Video - Hooker grabs pole vault gold

Australian Steve Hooker claimed gold in the pole vault in dramatic fashion with a stunning final jump of 5.90m.

Russia's Evgeny Lukyanenko was edged into silver place with 5.85m, while Ukraine's Denys Yurchenko picked up bronze with 5.70m on countback.

After sealing victory, the Commonwealth champion went on to set a new Olympic record of 5.96m and claimed Australia's first athletics gold of the Games.

The previous record of 5.95m was set by American Tim Mack at Athens in 2004.

It's draining but I feel on top of the world

Steve Hooker

It was an emotional finish for Hooker, 26 from Melbourne, who has improved massively after training in Perth with pole vault coach Alex Parnov - who also coached 2000 silver medallist Tatiana Grigorieva.

It is the first field gold won by an Australian man since the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City.

Hooker said: "That was without question the hardest thing I have ever done in my entire life, physically and mentally.

"The Olympic record is really special to me. Tim Mack is a hero of mine. I was really hoping to replicate what he did, and I can't believe that it's come true. It's draining but I feel on top of the world."

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Athletics medals table

Sunday, 24 August 2008 10:17 UK

Rank	Country	Gold	Silver	Bronze	TOTAL
1	also show each event results forUSA	7	9	7	23
Men's 100m		0	0	1
Men's 110m Hurdles		0	1	1
Men's 200m		0	1	1
Men's 400m		1	1	1
Men's 400m Hurdles		1	1	1
Men's 4 x 400m Relay		1	0	0
Men's Decathlon		1	0	0
Men's Shot Put		0	1	0
Women's 10000m		0	0	1
Women's 100m Hurdles		1	0	0
Women's 200m		0	1	0
Women's 400m		0	0	1
Women's 400m Hurdles		0	1	0
Women's 4 x 400m Relay		1	0	0
Women's Discus Throw		1	0	0
Women's Heptathlon		0	1	0
Women's Pole Vault		0	1	0
2	also show each event results forRussia	6	5	7	18
Men's 20km Walk		1	0	0
Men's 4 x 400m Relay		0	0	1
Men's 50km Walk		0	0	1
Men's High Jump		1	0	1
Men's Pole Vault		0	1	0
Women's 20km Walk		1	0	0
Women's 3000m Steeplechase		1	0	1
Women's 4 x 100m Relay		1	0	0
Women's 4 x 400m Relay		0	1	0
Women's Heptathlon		0	0	1
Women's High Jump		0	0	1
Women's Javelin Throw		0	1	0
Women's Long Jump		0	1	0
Women's Pole Vault		1	0	1
Women's Triple Jump		0	1	0
3	also show each event results forJamaica	6	3	2	11
Men's 100m		1	0	0
Men's 200m		1	0	0
Men's 4 x 100m Relay		1	0	0
Women's 100m		1	2	0
Women's 200m		1	0	1
Women's 400m		0	1	0
Women's 400m Hurdles		1	0	0
Women's 4 x 400m Relay		0	0	1
4	also show each event results forKenya	5	5	4	14
Men's 10000m		0	0	1
Men's 1500m		0	1	0
Men's 3000m Steeplechase		1	0	1
Men's 5000m		0	1	1
Men's 800m		1	0	1
Men's Marathon		1	0	0
Women's 1500m		1	0	0
Women's 3000m Steeplechase		0	1	0
Women's 800m		1	1	0
Women's Marathon		0	1	0
5	also show each event results forEthiopia	4	1	2	7
Men's 10000m		1	1	0
Men's 5000m		1	0	0
Men's Marathon		0	0	1
Women's 10000m		1	0	0
Women's 5000m		1	0	1
6	also show each event results forBelarus	1	3	3	7
Men's Decathlon		0	1	0
Men's Hammer Throw		0	1	1
Men's Shot Put		0	0	1
Women's Hammer Throw		1	0	0
Women's Shot Put		0	1	1
7	also show each event results forCuba	1	2	2	5
Men's 110m Hurdles		1	0	0
Men's Decathlon		0	0	1
Men's Long Jump		0	0	1
Women's Discus Throw		0	1	0
Women's Hammer Throw		0	1	0
8	also show each event results forAustralia	1	2	1	4
Men's 20km Walk		0	0	1
Men's 50km Walk		0	1	0
Men's Pole Vault		1	0	0
Women's 100m Hurdles		0	1	0
9	also show each event results forGreat Britain	1	2	1	4
Men's High Jump		0	1	0
Men's Triple Jump		0	1	0
Women's 400m		1	0	0
Women's 400m Hurdles		0	0	1
10	also show each event results forUkraine	1	1	3	5
Men's Pole Vault		0	0	1
Women's 1500m		0	1	1
Women's Discus Throw		0	0	1
Women's Heptathlon		1	0	0
11	also show each event results forBelgium	1	1	0	2
Women's 4 x 100m Relay		0	1	0
Women's High Jump		1	0	0
12	also show each event results forNorway	1	1	0	2
Men's Javelin Throw		1	0	0
Women's 20km Walk		0	1	0
13	also show each event results forPoland	1	1	0	2
Men's Discus Throw		0	1	0
Men's Shot Put		1	0	0
14	also show each event results forItaly	1	0	1	2
Men's 50km Walk		1	0	0
Women's 20km Walk		0	0	1
15	also show each event results forNew Zealand	1	0	1	2
Men's 1500m		0	0	1
Women's Shot Put		1	0	0
16	also show each event results forBahrain	1	0	0	1
Men's 1500m		1	0	0
17	also show each event results forBrazil	1	0	0	1
Women's Long Jump		1	0	0
18	also show each event results forCameroon	1	0	0	1
Women's Triple Jump		1	0	0
19	also show each event results forCzech Republic	1	0	0	1
Women's Javelin Throw		1	0	0
20	also show each event results forEstonia	1	0	0	1
Men's Discus Throw		1	0	0
21	also show each event results forPanama	1	0	0	1
Men's Long Jump		1	0	0
22	also show each event results forPortugal	1	0	0	1
Men's Triple Jump		1	0	0
23	also show each event results forRomania	1	0	0	1
Women's Marathon		1	0	0
24	also show each event results forSlovenia	1	0	0	1
Men's Hammer Throw		1	0	0
25	also show each event results forTrinidad & Tob	0	2	0	2
Men's 100m		0	1	0
Men's 4 x 100m Relay		0	1	0
26	also show each event results forTurkey	0	2	0	2
Women's 10000m		0	1	0
Women's 5000m		0	1	0
27	also show each event results forBahamas	0	1	1	2
Men's 4 x 400m Relay		0	1	0
Men's Triple Jump		0	0	1
28	also show each event results forMorocco	0	1	1	2
Men's Marathon		0	1	0
Women's 800m		0	0	1
29	also show each event results forCroatia	0	1	0	1
Women's High Jump		0	1	0
30	also show each event results forEcuador	0	1	0	1
Men's 20km Walk		0	1	0
31	also show each event results forFrance	0	1	0	1
Men's 3000m Steeplechase		0	1	0
32	also show each event results forLatvia	0	1	0	1
Men's Javelin Throw		0	1	0
33	also show each event results forSouth Africa	0	1	0	1
Men's Long Jump		0	1	0
34	also show each event results forSudan	0	1	0	1
Men's 800m		0	1	0
35	also show each event results forChina	0	0	2	2
Women's Hammer Throw		0	0	1
Women's Marathon		0	0	1
36	also show each event results forNigeria	0	0	2	2
Women's 4 x 100m Relay		0	0	1
Women's Long Jump		0	0	1
37	also show each event results forCanada	0	0	1	1
Women's 100m Hurdles		0	0	1
38	also show each event results forFinland	0	0	1	1
Men's Javelin Throw		0	0	1
39	also show each event results forGermany	0	0	1	1
Women's Javelin Throw		0	0	1
40	also show each event results forGreece	0	0	1	1
Women's Triple Jump		0	0	1
41	also show each event results forJapan	0	0	1	1
Men's 4 x 100m Relay		0	0	1
42	also show each event results forLithuania	0	0	1	1
Men's Discus Throw		0	0	1

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Hooker wins dramatic pole vault

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