Top pole vaulters from 8 countries will perform in the jubilee 35th edition of “A pole on the pier” (Polish: “Tyczka na molo”) in Sopot. The competition will take place at Skwer Kuracyjny between August 3 and August 4. It will be divided into two days because both men and women will have a separate day prepared especially for their categories. Participation in the Sopot meeting is confirmed, among others, by Piotr Lisek, the three-time medalist of the World Championships.
Unlike in previous years, the pole vaulters at “A pole on the pier” will compete at the climax of the summer season: August 3 and 4, between the World Athletics Championships in US Eugene, which was originally scheduled to take place a year ago, and the European Championships in Munich, which begins on August 15.
“Such timing allows us to hope for good results because athletes always keep in shape for the most important events of the season. In addition, on August 6, as part of the “Diamond League” series, Chorzów will host the world’s leading athletes and certainly our representatives would like to play leading roles in front of their own audience”, Jerzy Smolarek, organizer of “A pole on the pier” says.
Besides Piotr Lisek, other Polish sportsmen will also take part in the competition. Another famous athlete, French Thibaut Collet, a bronze medalist of the European U-23 championship should also join the fight for victory. In June, he jumped in Prague hist “personal best” of 5.82m and probably does not intend to stop at this height.
The pole vault competition will start on Thursday at 4 p.m. The meeting will be graced with the presence of Władysław Kozakiewicz, the first winner in 1984 and the Olympic champion from Moscow, and Anna Rogowska, the seven-time winner of “A pole on the pier” who has held the meeting record for 17 years (4.77m).