2016 IAAF World Indoor Championships – Women's pole vault

Women's pole vault at the 2016 IAAF World Indoor Championships
Venue	Oregon Convention Center
Dates	March 17
Competitors	9 from 7 nations
Winning height	4.90
Medalists
Jenn Suhr   United States   Sandi Morris   United States   Katerina Stefanidi   Greece

The women's pole vault at the 2016 IAAF World Indoor Championships took place on March 17, 2016. Jennifer Suhr of the United States won gold.

The men's and women's pole vault competition were the only events on the opening day. They were conducted simultaneously with two parallel runways down the center of the arena. The women's entrants included eight of the top 20 vaulters in history, most of them peaking in the weeks before the competition. One day after her 35th birthday, Fabiana Murer improved upon the listed Masters W35 world record by clearing 4.60. At 4.70, Eliza McCartney set her indoor New Zealand National Record, but barely a footnote considering she had cleared 4.80 at her outdoor national championships just 12 days earlier. She passed her next jump to that same 4.80 mark. At 4.75, the world record holder (improved earlier this season) Jenn Suhr took only her second attempt of the competition to tie for the lead with Ekaterini Stefanidi, who had jumped clean at 5 heights. Nicole Büchler missed twice at 4.75 and put all her marbles on a final attempt at a personal best 4.80. She made it, setting the Swiss National Record. Sandi Morris also made it on her first attempt and Stefanidi kept her perfect streak going. At 4.85, Stefanidi and Büchler failed while both Americans Morris and Suhr were successful. Having nothing to gain at 4.85 Stefanidi and Büchler took their remaining attempts at 4.90. After everyone else failed at 4.90, Suhr cleared it on only her fourth attempt of the competition which ultimately gave her the gold. With silver confirmed, Morris took her last attempt at 4.95 but after it failed, Suhr packed up her poles. Stefanidi's perfect round until 4.80 gave her the bronze.

Records

Gold medal winner, Jennifer Suhr

Runner-up, Sandi Morris

Standing records prior to the 2016 IAAF World Indoor Championships
World record	Jennifer Suhr (USA)	5.02	Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States	2 March 2013
Championship record	Elena Isinbaeva (RUS)	4.86	Budapest, Hungary	6 March 2004
World Leading	Jennifer Suhr (USA)	5.03	Brockport, New York, United States	30 January 2016
African record	Elmarie Gerryts (RSA)	4.41	Birmingham, Great Britain	20 February 2000
Asian record	Li Ling (CHN)	4.70	Doha, Qatar	19 February 2016
European record	Elena Isinbaeva (RUS)	5.01	Stockholm, Sweden	23 February 2012
North and Central American and Caribbean record	Jennifer Suhr (USA)	5.02	Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States	2 March 2013
Oceanian Record	Kym Howe (AUS)	4.72	Donetsk, Ukraine	10 February 2007
South American record	Fabiana Murer (BRA)	4.83	Nevers, France	7 February 2015

Qualification standards

Indoor	Outdoor
4.71

Schedule

Date	Time	Round
17 March 2016	19:05	Final

Results

The final was started at 19:05.

Rank	Name	Nationality	4.35	4.50	4.60	4.70	4.75	4.80	4.85	4.90	4.95	Result	Notes
	Jennifer Suhr	United States	–	–	o	–	o	–	o	o		4.90	CR
	Sandi Morris	United States	–	o	o	o	xo	o	o	xx–	x	4.85
	Katerina Stefanidi	Greece	–	o	o	o	o	o	x–	xx		4.80
4	Nicole Büchler	Switzerland	–	o	xxo	xxo	xx-	o	x–	xx		4.80	NR
5	Eliza McCartney	New Zealand	–	o	–	xo	–	xxx				4.70	NR
6	Fabiana Murer	Brazil	–	o	o	xxx						4.60
6	Nikoleta Kyriakopoulou	Greece	–	o	o	xxx						4.60
8	Romana Maláčová	Czech Republic	xo	o	xxx							4.50
NM	Marta Onofre	Portugal	xxx									NM
DNS	Alana Boyd	Australia										DNS