There seems to be some confusion when it comes to how long a pole vaulter has for his or her turn. First of all let’s go over the actual time restrictions on pole vaulters. This rule can be found in your rule books under Rule 7-2-5.
- 1.5 minutes will be allowed for each vaulter to initiate a completion, this is the rule for when there are more than 3 competitors remaining.
- 4 minutes will be allowed for each vaulter to initiate a completion once there are 3 or less competitors remaining in the pole vault competition.
- 6 minutes will be allowed once a single competitor is remaining in the pole vault competition.
Having said that, let’s go over a few of the specifics for this rule. The time begins once the standards are set in place, not once your name is called. It is the responsiblity of the vaulter to make sure the standards are set correctly. You must begin a successful completion within the allotted time in order for the vault to count. If there are 4 competitors remaining and you begin your approach within the allotted 1.5 minutes then you are ok. If you begin your run with 10 seconds remaining and you stop your approach run, then return to the origin of your approach, and try to run again, chances are you will be given a miss, unless you are super fast getting back. The rule does not specify how many times you abort your run, as long as you are within the alloted time frame.
If your standards are set, you are on the clock and may not elect to pass that attempt. This is common on windy days, especially with a swirling wind. You have to elect to pass before your standards are set, remember that.
