Athletics / Guide 14
Pole vault
World Athletics · 2026In short
Using the pole · Failures and broken poles
Using the pole
Athletes plant the pole in the box and clear the crossbar. They must not move the lower hand above the upper hand or move the upper hand higher along the pole after leaving the ground. Touching beyond the zero plane before clearing the bar, subject to the rule's exception, or steadying the bar during the vault causes a failure.
Failures and broken poles
As in high jump, 3 consecutive failures end participation except for the applicable first-place jump-off. Passing a height does not erase earlier consecutive failures. A pole breaking during a trial does not count as a failure; the athlete receives a replacement trial. Ties use the vertical-jump countback rules.
Independent explanations and translations, not official federation publications. Independent explanations of the supplied World Athletics Competition and Technical Rules, including amendments through 1 July 2026. Event-specific regulations may add conditions. References use PDF viewer page numbers; guide numbers are editorial.
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