Discussion Forum

Has a pole vaulter ever fallen on top of their pole at the apex of their vault and been skewered like a Maraschino cherry on a miniature plastic sword in a cocktail?

This concerns me as I watch televised competition.

Yes. Anthony Weiner, while pole vaulting out of bed, impaled himself when his shaft failed to spring back upon going over the bar. His wife, Huma, fearing for his safety, took measures into her own hands by gorilla glueing his testicles to the bed frame, thus saving him from future accidents. Because of archaic public decency issues, this sport was not included in the current Olympics, having been replaced by golf.

I believe the term now used is "person vaulting", after the Polish government complained, and it became illegal to use an actual Pole.

Are you referring to the invasion of Poland by Germany in September 1939? As the Nazi tanks crossed over the Polish border, the exercise was called "Pole Vaulting" by the Germans.