| Men's pole vault at the Games of the VII Olympiad |
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| Venue | Olympisch Stadion | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dates | August 18–20 | |||||||||
| Competitors | 16 from 7 nations | |||||||||
| Medalists | ||||||||||
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| «1912 | 1924» | |||||||||
| Athletics at the 1920 Summer Olympics |
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|---|---|---|
| Track events | ||
| 100 m | men | |
| 200 m | men | |
| 400 m | men | |
| 800 m | men | |
| 1500 m | men | |
| 5000 m | men | |
| 10,000 m | men | |
| 110 m hurdles | men | |
| 400 m hurdles | men | |
| 3000 m steeplechase | men | |
| 4×100 m relay | men | |
| 4×400 m relay | men | |
| 3000 m team race | men | |
| 3 km walk | men | |
| 10 km walk | men | |
| Road events | ||
| Marathon | men | |
| Field events | ||
| Long jump | men | |
| Triple jump | men | |
| High jump | men | |
| Pole vault | men | |
| Shot put | men | |
| Discus throw | men | |
| Hammer throw | men | |
| Javelin throw | men | |
| 56 lb weight throw | men | |
| Combined events | ||
| Pentathlon | men | |
| Decathlon | men | |
| Cross-country events | ||
| Individual | men | |
| Team | men | |
The men's pole vault event was part of the track and field athletics programme at the 1920 Summer Olympics. The competition was held on Wednesday, August 18, 1920 and on Friday, August 20, 1920.
16 pole vaulters from seven nations competed.
These were the standing world and Olympic records (in metres) prior to the 1920 Summer Olympics.
| World Record | 4.02 | Marc Wright | Cambridge, MA (USA) | June 8, 1912 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Olympic Record | 3.95 | Harry Babcock | Stockholm (SWE) | July 11, 1912 |
At first Frank Foss set a new Olympic record with 4.00 metres. Then he set a new world record with 4.09 metres.
The qualification was held on August 18, 1920. The qualification height was 3.60. Only three pole vaulters were eliminated. In the final held on August 20, 1920 only seven athletes were able to clear 3.60 metres again. Foss cleared 4.00 metres and also the new world record of 4.09 metres in his third try.
| Place | Athlete | Qual. | 4.00 | 4.09 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Frank Foss (USA) | 3.60 | XXO | XXO | 4.09 WR |
| 2 | Henry Petersen (DEN) | 3.60 | 3.70 | ||
| 3 | Edwin Myers (USA) | 3.60 | 3.60 | ||
| 4 | Edward Knourek (USA) | 3.60 | 3.60 | ||
| 5 | Ernfrid Rydberg (SWE) | 3.60 | 3.60 | ||
| 6 | Laurits Jørgensen (DEN) | 3.60 | 3.60 | ||
| 7 | Eldon Jenne (USA) | 3.60 | 3.60 | ||
| 8 | Georg Högström (SWE) | 3.60 | 3.50 | ||
| 9 | John Mattsson (SWE) | 3.60 | 3.50 | ||
| 10 | André Francquenelle (FRA) | 3.60 | 3.40 | ||
| 11 | Paul Lagarde (FRA) | 3.60 | 3.40 | ||
| 12 | Jussi Ruoho (FIN) | 3.60 | 3.40 | ||
| 13 | René Joannes-Powell (BEL) | 3.60 | 3.30 | ||
| 14 | Étienne Gajan (FRA) | 3.50 | — | ||
| — | Johann Martin (EST) | NM | — | ||
| Lars Erik Tirén (SWE) | NM | — |
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