Men Pole Vault Athletics XI Olympic Games Berlin, Germany 1936 - Wednesday, 05 August - Gold Medal: Earle Meadows, United States
Final 19:00
Height
SO
415
425
435
445
JO
1. Earle Meadows
United States
4.35m OR
1.
O
XO
XO
XXX
415
2. Shuhei Nishida
Japan
4.25m
4.
O
O
XXX
O
3. Sueo Ōe
Japan
4.25m
3.
O
XO
XXX
O
4. Bill Sefton
United States
4.25m
2.
XXO
O
XXX
X
5. Bill Graber
United States
4.15m
5.
O
XXX
The second and third places were not awarded to the two Japanese after another jump-off, but at the command of the Japanese team leader, who gave Nishida the second place, since he had succeeded in clearing 4.25m in the first trial, while Oe required a second attempt.
World Record: 4.43m George Varoff, United States Princeton (USA) July 4, 1936
Olympic Record: 4.315 Wiliam Miller, United States Los Angeles (USA) August 3, 1932
With 25 competitors the event was almost interminable, taking a full
five hours, and ending under floodlights. This added to the drama of
Leni Reifenstahl’s “Olympia”, the official film of the Games which
gave full and artistic coverage of the event.
The USA had to do without George Varoff, the world record holder,
who placed only fourth in the US Trials, but Meadows fought off the stiff
Japanese challenge by clearing 4.35 on his second attempt. Nishida and
Oe were officially second and third but in a gesture of friendship they cut
their medals in two and had them soldered together. Apps, who tied for
sixth, was later much better known in his own country as a player in the
North American National Hockey League and as a Conservative MP.
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