Steve Hooker|
Steve Hooker in 2008 |
| Personal information |
|---|
| Full name |
Steven Leslie Hooker |
|---|
| Nickname(s) |
Hooksy |
|---|
| Nationality |
Australian |
|---|
| Born |
(1982-07-16) 16 July 1982
Melbourne |
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| Height |
187 cm (6 ft 1 1⁄2 in)[1] |
|---|
| Weight |
75 kg (165 lb)[1] |
|---|
| Sport |
|---|
| Sport |
Athletics |
|---|
| Event(s) |
Pole vault |
|---|
| Achievements and titles |
|---|
| Olympic finals |
2004 Athens Olympics, 2008 Beijing Olympics and 2012 London Olympics |
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|
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Steven "Steve" Leslie Hooker OAM (born 16 July 1982 in Melbourne, Victoria) is an Australian former pole vaulter and Olympic gold medalist. His personal best, achieved in 2008, is 6.06 m (19 ft 101⁄2 in) making him the third highest pole vaulter in history,[2] behind Sergey Bubka and Renaud Lavillenie.
Hooker also has a personal best of 10.82 s in 100 m as an amateur sprinter.[3] He ran in the 2010 Stawell Gift.
Career
Hooker won gold at the 2008 Beijing Olympics with a vault of 5.96 metres, setting a new Olympic record, and making him the first Australian male track and field gold medallist in 40 years since Ralph Doubell won the 800 metres in Mexico City in 1968.[4][5][6]
At the 2009 World Athletics Championships, in Berlin, Hooker won the gold medal despite a hamstring injury. On only his second jump, Hooker cleared 5.90 metres, to win the gold medal after missing 5.85 metres on his first attempt.[7][8]
At the 2010 IAAF World Indoor Championships, Hooker won the gold medal in the pole vault with a vault of 6.01 metres, a championship record.
At the 2010 Commonwealth Games, Hooker won the gold medal in the pole vault.
He retired from athletics in April 2014, choosing to focus on his family, his wife Yekaterina Kostetskaya having given birth to their first son, Maxim, in 2013.[9]
Honours
In the January 2009 New Years Honours List, Steve Hooker was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) "For service to sport as a Gold Medallist at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games".[10]
Personal life
Hooker attended Greythorn Primary School and Balwyn High School in Balwyn North, Victoria.
His mother Erica Hooker was a 1972 Olympian and a 1978 Commonwealth Games long jump silver medalist. She also won nine national titles. His father Bill represented Australia in the 800 m and 4 x 400 m at the 1974 Commonwealth Games and won four national crowns.
He began his career with the Box Hill Athletic Club. His career started slowly, and he only went professional in 2006. He relocated to Perth, living on a very modest Australian Sports Commission allowance.
Hooker was emotional after victory at the 2009 World Championships
Summary of athletic achievements
| Year |
Competition |
Venue |
Position |
Notes |
Representing  Australia |
| 2000 |
World Junior Championships |
Santiago, Chile |
4th |
5.20 m |
| 2006 |
Commonwealth Games |
Melbourne, Australia |
1st |
5.80 m |
| World Athletics Final |
Stuttgart, Germany |
5th |
5.75 m |
| World Cup |
Athens, Greece |
1st |
5.80 m |
| 2007 |
World Athletics Final |
Stuttgart, Germany |
3rd |
5.81 m |
| 2008 |
World Indoor Championships |
Valencia, Spain |
3rd |
5.80 m |
| Olympic Games |
Beijing, China |
1st |
5.96 m OR |
| 2009 |
World Championships |
Berlin, Germany |
1st |
5.90 m |
| 2010 |
World Indoor Championships |
Doha, Qatar |
1st |
6.01 m CR |
| Continental Cup |
Split, Croatia |
1st |
5.95 m CR |
| Commonwealth Games |
New Delhi, India |
1st |
5.60 m |
See also
References
External links
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