# Athletics at the 2016 Summer Olympics – Women's pole vault

The women's pole vault competition at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The event was held at the Olympic Stadium between 16–19 August.

## Summary

It took a clean round to 4.55 m to qualify. Holly Bradshaw, Lisa Ryzih, Jennifer Suhr, Eliza McCartney, Yarisley Silva and Martina Strutz already had misses and had to jump 4.60. All but Strutz did it on their first attempt. Ekaterini Stefanidi had passed the lower heights and took her only attempt at 4.60, which was successful to qualify.
In the final, 4.60 proved to be the end of the line as both returning Olympic medalists from 2012, Suhr and Silva topped out. They left tied with one miss each. 2012 bronze medalist Yelena Isinbayeva did not return because Russia's athletics team was suspended from international competition for state-sponsored doping. Isinbayeva later announced her retirement. Six women were able to clear 4.70, McCartney and Stefanidi were tied with the lead, each without a miss. Stefanidi missed her first attempt at 4.80, so when McCartney remained perfect, she took the lead. Stefanidi, Sandi Morris and Alana Boyd all cleared on their second attempt. After missing her first attempt at 4.80, Nicole Büchler saved her two remaining attempts for 4.85 (she missed both). Stefanidi took the lead with a second attempt clearance of 4.85 m (15 ft 10+3⁄4 in). Morris followed with a clearance of her own. When McCartney and Boyd were unable to clear the bar, Morris was guaranteed silver. Neither were able to clear 4.90 m (16 ft 3⁄4 in), though on Morris' last attempt, knowing it was all or nothing for the gold medal, it looked like she was well over the bar, her thigh just catching the bar on the way down to dislodge it. 19-year-old McCartney equaled her National Record, set in March 2016.
The medals were presented by Irena Szewińska and Svein Arne Hansen.

## Competition format

The competition consisted of two rounds, qualification and final. In qualification, each athlete had three attempts at each height and is eliminated if she failed to clear any height. Athletes who successfully jumped the qualifying height moved on the final. If fewer than 12 reached that height, the best 12 moved on. Cleared heights were reset for the final, which followed the same three-attempts-per-height format until all athletes reach a height they can not jump.

## Schedule

All times are Brasilia Time (UTC-3)
| Date | Time | Round |
| Tuesday, 16 August 2016 | 09:45 | Qualifications |
| Friday, 19 August 2016 | 20:30 | Finals |

## Records

Prior to the competition, the existing World and Olympic records were as follows.
| World record | Yelena Isinbayeva (RUS) | 5.06 m | Zürich, Switzerland | 28 August 2009 |
| Olympic record | Yelena Isinbayeva (RUS) | 5.05 m | Beijing, China | 18 August 2008 |
| 2016 World leading | Sandi Morris (USA) | 4.93 m | Houston, USA | 23 July 2016 |
The following national record was established during the competition:
| Country | Athlete | Round | Height | Notes |
| New Zealand | Eliza McCartney (NZL) | Final | 4.80 m | = |

## Results

Key
* o = Height cleared
* x = Height failed
* – = Height passed
* r = Retired
* SB = Season's best
* PB = Personal best
* NR = National record
* AR = Area record
* OR = Olympic record
* WR = World record
* WL = World lead
* NM = No mark
* DNS = Did not start
* DQ = Disqualified

### Qualifying round

Qualification rule: Qualifying performance 4.60 (Q) or at least 12 best performers (q) advance to the Final.
| Rank | Group | Name | Nationality | 4.15 | 4.30 | 4.45 | 4.55 | 4.60 | Result | Notes |
| 1 | A | Katerina Stefanidi | Greece | – | – | – | – | o | 4.60 | Q |
| 2 | A | Holly Bradshaw | Great Britain | – | – | o | xo | o | 4.60 | Q |
| 2 | A | Lisa Ryzih | Germany | – | – | – | xo | o | 4.60 | Q |
| 2 | B | Jennifer Suhr | United States | – | – | – | xo | o | 4.60 | Q |
| 5 | A | Eliza McCartney | New Zealand | – | – | xxo | xo | o | 4.60 | Q |
| 5 | B | Yarisley Silva | Cuba | – | – | xo | xxo | o | 4.60 | Q |
| 7 | B | Martina Strutz | Germany | – | o | xo | o | xo | 4.60 | Q |
| 8 | A | Kelsie Ahbe | Canada | – | o | o | o | – | 4.55 | q |
| 8 | A | Alana Boyd | Australia | – | – | o | o | – | 4.55 | q |
| 8 | B | Nicole Büchler | Switzerland | – | – | o | o | – | 4.55 | q |
| 8 | A | Sandi Morris | United States | – | – | o | o | – | 4.55 | q |
| 8 | B | Tina Šutej | Slovenia | o | o | o | o | – | 4.55 | q |
| 13 | B | Minna Nikkanen | Finland | – | o | xo | o | xxx | 4.55 | |
| 14 | B | Angelica Bengtsson | Sweden | o | o | o | xo | xxx | 4.55 | |
| 14 | A | Maryna Kylypko | Ukraine | o | o | o | xo | xxx | 4.55 | |
| 16 | B | Li Ling | China | – | o | xo | xo | xxx | 4.55 | |
| 17 | A | Michaela Meijer | Sweden | – | o | o | xxx | | 4.45 | |
| 17 | B | Alysha Newman | Canada | – | o | o | xxx | | 4.45 | |
| 19 | A | Jiřina Ptáčníková | Czech Republic | – | o | xo | xxx | | 4.45 | |
| 19 | A | Lexi Weeks | United States | – | o | xo | xxx | | 4.45 | |
| 21 | B | Sonia Malavisi | Italy | o | o | xxo | xxx | | 4.45 | |
| 21 | B | Annika Roloff | Germany | – | o | xxo | xxx | | 4.45 | |
| 23 | A | Angelica Moser | Switzerland | xo | xxo | xxo | xxx | | 4.45 | |
| 24 | B | Romana Maláčová | Czech Republic | o | o | xxx | | | 4.30 | |
| 24 | A | Wilma Murto | Finland | – | o | xxx | | | 4.30 | |
| 24 | B | Marta Onofre | Portugal | o | o | xxx | | | 4.30 | |
| 27 | B | Tori Pena | Ireland | o | xo | xxx | | | 4.30 | |
| 28 | A | Vanessa Boslak | France | o | xxo | xxx | | | 4.30 | |
| 29 | A | Joana Costa | Brazil | o | xxx | | | | 4.15 | |
| 29 | B | Annika Newell | Canada | o | xxx | | | | 4.15 | |
| 29 | B | Diamara Planell | Puerto Rico | o | xxx | | | | 4.15 | |
| 29 | A | Femke Pluim | Netherlands | o | xxx | | | | 4.15 | |
| 29 | A | Maria Leonor Tavares | Portugal | o | xxx | | | | 4.15 | |
| 34 | B | Iryna Yakaltsevich | Belarus | xxo | xxx | | | | 4.15 | |
| | B | Fabiana Murer | Brazil | – | – | – | xxx | | NM | |
| | A | Ren Mengqian | China | xxx | | | | | NM | |
| | B | Nikoleta Kyriakopoulou | Greece | | | | | | DNS | |
| | A | Robeilys Peinado | Venezuela | | | | | | DNS | |

### Final

| Rank | Name | Nationality | 4.35 | 4.50 | 4.60 | 4.70 | 4.80 | 4.85 | 4.90 | Result | Notes |
| | Katerina Stefanidi | Greece | – | – | o | o | xo | xo | xxx | 4.85 | |
| | Sandi Morris | United States | – | o | o | xo | xo | xo | xxx | 4.85 | |
| | Eliza McCartney | New Zealand | – | o | o | o | o | xxx | | 4.80 | =NR |
| 4 | Alana Boyd | Australia | – | o | o | xxo | xo | xxx | | 4.80 | |
| 5 | Holly Bradshaw | Great Britain | – | o | xo | o | xxx | | | 4.70 | SB |
| 6 | Nicole Büchler | Switzerland | – | o | xxo | o | x– | xx | | 4.70 | |
| 7 | Jennifer Suhr | United States | – | – | xo | xxx | | | | 4.60 | |
| 7 | Yarisley Silva | Cuba | – | o | xo | xxx | | | | 4.60 | |
| 9 | Martina Strutz | Germany | o | o | xxo | xxx | | | | 4.60 | |
| 10 | Lisa Ryzih | Germany | – | o | – | xxx | | | | 4.50 | |
| 11 | Tina Šutej | Slovenia | o | xo | xxx | | | | | 4.50 | |
| 12 | Kelsie Ahbe | Canada | xxo | xxo | xxx | | | | | 4.50 | |