# 1997 World Championships in Athletics – Men's pole vault

The final of the Men's Pole Vault event at the 1997 World Championships in Athletics was held on Sunday August 10, 1997, in Athens, Greece.

## Medalists

Source:
| Gold | Sergey Bubka Ukraine (UKR) |
| Silver | Maksim Tarasov Russia (RUS) |
| Bronze | Dean Starkey United States (USA) |

## Schedule

* All times are Eastern European Time (UTC+2)
Qualification Round :
| Group A | Group B |
| 08.08.1997 – 17:30h | 08.08.1997 – 17:30h |
| Final Round ||
| 10.08.1997 – 17:30h ||

## Abbreviations

* All results shown are in metres
| Q | automatic qualification |
| q | qualification by rank |
| DNS | did not start |
| NM | no mark |
| WR | world record |
| AR | area record |
| NR | national record |
| PB | personal best |
| SB | season best |

## Records

Standing records prior to the 1997 World Athletics Championships :
| World Record | Sergey Bubka (UKR) | 6.14 m | July 31, 1994 | Sestriere, Italy |
| Event Record | Sergey Bubka (UKR) | 6.00 m | August 19, 1993 | Stuttgart, Germany |
| Broken records during the 1997 World Athletics Championships |||||
| Event Record | Sergey Bubka (UKR) | 6.01 m | August 10, 1997 | Athens, Greece |

## Results
### Qualification

Qualification: Qualifying Performance 5.75 (Q) or at least 12 best performers (q) advance to the final.

#### Group A

| Rank | Name | 5.30 | 5.45 | 5.60 | 5.70 | Result | Notes |
| 1 | Tim Lobinger (GER) | – | o | o | o | 5.70 | q |
| 1 | Maksim Tarasov (RUS) | – | – | – | o | 5.70 | q |
| 3 | Sergey Bubka (UKR) | – | – | – | xo | 5.70 | q |
| 3 | Nick Buckfield (GBR) | o | o | o | xo | 5.70 | q |
| 5 | Trond Barthel (NOR) | – | xo | xo | xo | 5.70 | q |
| 6 | Pat Manson (USA) | – | o | o | xxo | 5.70 | q |
| 7 | Danny Krasnov (ISR) | – | xo | o | xxo | 5.70 | q |
| 8 | Juan Gabriel Concepción (ESP) | xxo | xxo | o | xxx | 5.60 | |
| 9 | Alain Andji (FRA) | – | o | xxo | xxx | 5.60 | |
| 9 | Andrei Tivontschik (GER) | – | – | xxo | xxx | 5.60 | |
| 11 | Peter Widen (SWE) | – | o | xxx | | 5.45 | |
| 12 | Ilian Efremov (BUL) | xxo | o | xxx | | 5.45 | |
| 13 | Vesa Rantanen (FIN) | o | xo | xxx | | 5.45 | |
| 14 | Andrea Giannini (ITA) | xo | xo | xxx | | 5.45 | |
| 15 | Edgardo Díaz (PUR) | o | xxo | xxx | | 5.45 | |
| 16 | Ruhan Işim (TUR) | xxo | xxx | | | 5.30 | |
| – | Okkert Brits (RSA) | – | – | xx- | x | NM | |
| – | Lawrence Johnson (USA) | – | – | xxx | | NM | |
| – | Aleksandr Korchagin (KAZ) | xxx | | | | NM | |
| – | Montxu Miranda (ESP) | – | | | | DNF | |

#### Group B

| Rank | Name | 5.30 | 5.45 | 5.60 | 5.70 | Result | Notes |
| 1 | Martin Eriksson (SWE) | – | o | xo | o | 5.70 | q |
| 2 | Yevgeniy Smiryagin (RUS) | xo | o | xxo | o | 5.70 | q |
| 3 | Jean Galfione (FRA) | – | xo | – | xo | 5.70 | q |
| 4 | Vadim Strogalyov (RUS) | – | xxo | – | xo | 5.70 | q |
| 5 | Riaan Botha (RSA) | – | – | o | xxo | 5.70 | q |
| 6 | Dean Starkey (USA) | – | xo | xo | xxo | 5.70 | q |
| 7 | Igor Potapovich (KAZ) | – | – | o | xxx | 5.60 | |
| 8 | Khalid Lachheb (FRA) | xo | o | xo | xxx | 5.60 | |
| 9 | Michael Stolle (GER) | o | o | xxo | xxx | 5.60 | |
| 10 | Fabio Pizzolato (ITA) | xxo | o | xxo | xxx | 5.60 | |
| 11 | Paul Gibbons (NZL) | o | xo | xxx | | 5.45 | |
| 12 | Laurens Looije (NED) | o | xxx | | | 5.30 | |
| 12 | Vyacheslav Shuteyev (UKR) | o | xxx | | | 5.30 | |
| – | Heikki Vaaraniemi (FIN) | – | xxx | | | NM | |
| – | Javier García (ESP) | – | xxx | | | NM | |
| – | Stavros Tsitouras (GRE) | – | xxx | | | NM | |
| – | Martin Voss (DEN) | xxx | | | | NM | |
| – | Jurij Rovan (SLO) | xxx | | | | NM | |
| – | Dmitriy Markov (BLR) | | | | | DNS | |

### Final

| Rank | Name | 5.50 | 5.70 | 5.80 | 5.86 | 5.91 | 5.96 | 6.01 | 6.06 | 6.15 | Result | Notes |
| | Sergey Bubka (UKR) | – | xo | - | - | xo | - | o | - | DNF | 6.01 | CR |
| | Maksim Tarasov (RUS) | – | xo | - | o | xxo | o | x- | xx | | 5.96 | |
| | Dean Starkey (USA) | xo | o | o | xxo | xxo | x- | xx | | | 5.91 | SB |
| 4 | Tim Lobinger (GER) | o | o | o | xxx | | | | | | 5.80 | |
| 5 | Nick Buckfield (GBR) | o | o | xxx | | | | | | | 5.70 | |
| 6 | Pat Manson (USA) | xo | o | xxx | | | | | | | 5.70 | |
| 7 | Vadim Strogalyov (RUS) | o | xxo | xxx | | | | | | | 5.70 | |
| 8 | Yevgeniy Smiryagin (RUS) | xo | xxo | xxx | | | | | | | 5.70 | |
| 9 | Martin Eriksson (SWE) | o | xxx | | | | | | | | 5.50 | |
| 9 | Danny Krasnov (ISR) | o | xxx | | | | | | | | 5.50 | |
| 11 | Trond Barthel (NOR) | xo | xxx | | | | | | | | 5.50 | |
| — | Riaan Botha (RSA) | - | xxx | | | | | | | | NM | |
| — | Jean Galfione (FRA) | - | xxx | | | | | | | | NM | |