# Athletics at the 2008 Summer Olympics – Women's pole vault

The women's pole vault at the 2008 Summer Olympics took place between August 16 and 18 at the Beijing National Stadium.
The qualifying standards were 4.45 m (A standard) and 4.30 m (B standard).
The final was won by 25 cm by Yelena Isinbayeva, who set a new world record height of 5.05 meters for the discipline. As of 2023, this winning margin remains unmatched.
During the finals, one of the poles which Brazilian Fabiana Murer would use disappeared, causing her to spend 10–15 minutes trying to get it back. The lost time and having to use another pole led her to bad results. Murer complained about the organization, and would only return to China 7 years later at the 2015 World Championships in Athletics, this time winning a silver medal.

## Records

Prior to this competition, the existing world and Olympic records were as follows:
| World record | Yelena Isinbayeva (RUS) | 5.04 | Monaco, Monaco | 29 July 2008 |
| Olympic record | Yelena Isinbayeva (RUS) | 4.91 | Athens, Greece | 24 August 2004 |
The following new world and Olympic records were set during this competition.
| Date | Event | Name | Nationality | Height | Notes |
| 18 August | Final | Yelena Isinbayeva | Russia | 5.05 | WR |

## 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

Qualifying performance: 4.60 (Q) or at least 12 best performers (q) advance to the final.
| Rank | Group | Name | Nationality | 4.00 | 4.15 | 4.30 | 4.40 | 4.50 | 4.60 | Result | Notes |
| 1 | A | Yelena Isinbayeva | Russia | – | – | – | – | – | o | 4.60 | Q |
| 2 | B | Vanessa Boslak | France | – | o | o | o | o | – | 4.50 | q, =SB |
| 2 | A | Gao Shuying | China | – | – | o | o | o | – | 4.50 | q |
| 2 | B | Fabiana Murer | Brazil | – | – | – | o | o | – | 4.50 | q |
| 2 | B | Jennifer Stuczynski | United States | – | – | – | – | o | – | 4.50 | q |
| 6 | A | Svetlana Feofanova | Russia | – | – | – | xo | o | – | 4.50 | q |
| 6 | A | April Steiner Bennett | United States | – | – | xo | o | o | – | 4.50 | q |
| 8 | A | Monika Pyrek | Poland | – | – | – | o | xo | – | 4.50 | q |
| 8 | B | Anna Rogowska | Poland | – | – | – | o | xo | – | 4.50 | q |
| 10 | B | Yuliya Golubchikova | Russia | – | – | o | xo | xo | – | 4.50 | q |
| 10 | A | Carolin Hingst | Germany | – | o | xo | o | xo | – | 4.50 | q |
| 12 | B | Silke Spiegelburg | Germany | – | – | xxo | o | xo | – | 4.50 | q |
| 13 | A | Naroa Agirre | Spain | o | o | o | xo | xxx | | 4.40 | =SB |
| 14 | A | Anastasija Reiberger | Germany | – | o | xo | xo | xxx | | 4.40 | |
| 15 | B | Kate Dennison | Great Britain | xo | xo | xo | xxo | xxx | | 4.40 | =PB |
| 16 | B | Alana Boyd | Australia | – | – | o | xxx | | | 4.30 | |
| 16 | B | Roslinda Samsu | Malaysia | o | o | o | xxx | | | 4.30 | =SB |
| 18 | B | Kelsie Hendry | Canada | – | – | xo | xxx | | | 4.30 | |
| 19 | A | Joanna Piwowarska | Poland | xo | o | xo | xxx | | | 4.30 | |
| 19 | A | Afrodíti Skafída | Greece | – | xo | xo | xxx | | | 4.30 | |
| 19 | A | Sandra-Helena Tavares | Portugal | o | xo | xo | xxx | | | 4.30 | |
| 22 | B | Nicole Büchler | Switzerland | xxo | o | xxo | xxx | | | 4.30 | |
| 23 | A | Marion Buisson | France | o | o | xx | | | | 4.15 | |
| 23 | B | Thórey Edda Elisdóttir | Iceland | – | o | xxx | | | | 4.15 | |
| 25 | B | Zhou Yang | China | xo | o | xxx | | | | 4.15 | |
| 26 | B | Krisztina Molnár | Hungary | xxo | o | xxx | | | | 4.15 | |
| 27 | A | Natalya Kushch | Ukraine | – | xxo | – | xxx | | | 4.15 | |
| 27 | B | Nikoléta Kiriakopoúlou | Greece | – | xxo | xxx | | | | 4.15 | |
| 27 | A | Li Ling | China | – | xxo | xxx | | | | 4.15 | |
| 27 | A | Yarisley Silva | Cuba | – | xxo | xxx | | | | 4.15 | |
| 31 | A | Alejandra García | Argentina | xxo | xxo | xxx | | | | 4.15 | |
| 32 | A | Leila Ben Youssef | Tunisia | xo | xxx | | | | | 4.00 | |
| 32 | A | Vanessa Vandy | Finland | xo | xxx | | | | | 4.00 | |
| 34 | B | Anna Fitídou | Cyprus | xxo | xxx | | | | | 4.00 | |
| | B | Kateřina Baďurová | Czech Republic | xxx | | | | | | NM | |
| | B | Erica Bartolina | United States | – | – | xxx | | | | NM | |
WR – World Record / =SB – Equal Season Best / PB – Personal Best / SB – Season Best

### Final

The final was held on August 18.
| Rank | Name | Nationality | 4.30 | 4.45 | 4.55 | 4.65 | 4.70 | 4.75 | 4.80 | 4.85 | 4.90 | 4.95 | 5.00 | 5.05 | Result | Notes |
| | Yelena Isinbayeva | Russia | – | – | – | – | o | – | – | o | – | xxo | – | xxo | 5.05 | WR |
| | Jennifer Stuczynski | United States | – | – | o | – | o | xo | o | – | xxx | | | | 4.80 | |
| | Svetlana Feofanova | Russia | – | o | o | xo | – | o | xxx | | | | | | 4.75 | SB |
| 4 | Yulia Golubchikova | Russia | – | o | o | xo | o | xo | xxx | | | | | | 4.75 | PB |
| 5 | Monika Pyrek | Poland | – | o | o | o | xo | xxx | | | | | | | 4.70 | |
| 6 | Carolin Hingst | Germany | o | o | o | xxo | xxx | | | | | | | | 4.65 | SB |
| 7 | Silke Spiegelburg | Germany | o | xo | o | xxo | xxx | | | | | | | | 4.65 | |
| 8 | April Steiner Bennett | United States | o | o | o | xxx | | | | | | | | | 4.55 | |
| 9 | Vanessa Boslak | France | o | o | xo | xxx | | | | | | | | | 4.55 | SB |
| 10 | Fabiana Murer | Brazil | – | o | – | xxx | | | | | | | | | 4.45 | |
| 10 | Anna Rogowska | Poland | – | o | xxx | | | | | | | | | | 4.45 | |
| 12 | Gao Shuying | China | o | xxo | xxx | | | | | | | | | | 4.45 | |
WR – World Record / =SB – Equal Season Best / PB – Personal Best / SB – Season Best