Unread postby mikepv1 » Thu Aug 19, 2004 5:34 pm
I'd definitely have to say that Bubka would have been pretty close, with 9.94 m/sec at the box. That kind of takeoff speed is blistering, to say the least. That is also part of the reason why SB, at 183 cm (6' 1") tall, and weighing 80 kg (176 lb), could get on a 5.20/10.6 pole.
Hysong ran 10.29 100m in Flagstaff, Arizona, in July of 2000 before the Sydney Olympics. I do not know if it was hand timed, but Nick is fast.
Toby is very fast, but I doubt he is faster than Bubka, as his height and weight are almost exactly the same is Bubka's, and yet he vaults on a 5.10/12.6. Of course, Toby vaults on Pacer Carbon FX poles, which utilize a spiral wrap, while the UCS-Spirit poles that Bubka vaulted on utilize a spin wrap. This difference in wrap could make for a discrepancy in the flex ratings (though not the lengths) and technique might explain the rest. (Toby hasn't yet been vaulting as long as Bubka had when he set the world record. Plus, Toby currently has no coach. Thus, his technique is not yet as polished as it probably will be down the line.) So, Toby could conceivably be that fast, and if he is not, he is young and has plenty of time to get faster.
However, as of right now, I think Bubka has to be the fastest. A speed of 9.94 m/sec at the box when you're carrying a 5.20/10.6 in your hands is hard to beat. Besides, Bubka's world record of 6.15 m and his 44 career jumps over 6 m or higher speak for themselves. The next person down, Tarasov, has only jumped 6 m or more 7 times (as has Hartwig).
As for the fastest vaulter currently vaulting, I am not sure. Toby would be up there, though.