The Elevated Track in Pole Vault: An Advantage During Run-Up?

Approach speed is a major determinant of pole-vault performance. Athletic jump events such as long jump, triple jump, and pole vault can utilize an elevated track for the runway. Feedback from athletes indicates a benefit of using an elevated track on their results. However, there is no evidence that elevated tracks increase athletes' performance. To investigate the potential advantage of using an elevated track during elite pole-vault competitions on run-up speed parameters. Performance and run-up criteria (speed, stride rate, contact, and aerial time) were measured from 20 high-level male pole-vaulters during official competitions on either a regular or an elevated track. Parameters comparisons were made between both conditions, and run-up parameters were confronted to speed modification on the elevated track. Statistical analyses indicated that for the elevated track, there was a small improvement in final speed (1.1%), stride rate (1.1%), and takeoff distance (3.1%) and a small reduction in aerial time (-1.9%). The study highlighted different individual responses depending on athletes' capabilities. The authors noted that speed improvement was largely correlated with stride-rate improvement (r = .61) and contact-time reduction (r = -.51) for slower athletes. Elevated tracks can increase final approach speed in pole vault and positively influence performance. Interindividual responses were observed in these findings.