Stacy Draglia
What is it like to be the best in the world?! Stacy Dragila was born in Auburn, California, graduated from Idaho State University and is number one. The Gold Medal Winner in the first ever women's Olympic pole vault at the 2000 Sydney, Australia, Olympics, the world record holder, and absolute best female pole vaulter in the world. She holds both the indoor (15 feet 1 ¾ inches) and outdoor (15 feet 1 inch) world records. She is a seven time national champion and the only women's outdoor world champion in the history of humankind.
She says she's been involved in sports and college athletics for many, many years. Training for the Olympics is a grueling test of endurance she says and a high-profile Gold Medal winner may face any equally exhausting post-Olympic experience. Dragila turned to the pole vault in 1993 while competing as a heptathlete in seven different events at Idaho State. She won her first world indoor title in 1997. In high school, Dragila was a 4-H club member who starred at goat-tying and breakaway roping. She also ran hurdles, which helped her attorney scholarship to Idaho State. Women have faulted seriously for less than ten years, and it has only been in the past two years that the event has taken off. Stacy eventually started competing in college exhibitions, as a warm-up for the men. In her spare time, she worked as a server at a restaurant in Pocatello. In 1996, she appeared in the U.S. Olympic trials for an exhibition, won the U.S. indoor and outdoor championships, and set an American record with a vault of 13 feet 9.25 inches. She hit 14 feet 5.25 inches to win the World Indoor Gold Medal in 1997. In 1998, she won another U.S. indoor title and improved her personal best to 14 feet 8.75 inches. She won the first world outdoor title at the championship in Spain, clearing her world record 15 feet 1 inch. Then in California, she matched this world outdoor record. As a junior at Idaho State, Stacy Dragila and the rest of the women heptathletes were told by Coach Nielsen to try to vault over six feet. Dragila says the first couple trillion times trying to go over the bar was “pretty frightening”. Dragila predicts that women will be pole-vaulting 16 feet and then eventually they will go to 17 feet, which is like the 20 foot barrier for men. Nevertheless, she says, it will happen. She graduated from Idaho State with a degree in physical and health education, and is now pursuing a master's degree in health education. She also works as an assistant coach with the Idaho State track team, concentrating on the vault and the heptathlon. She is also active in the Big Brothers, Big Sisters program. The city of Pocatello has named a street after her, Dragila Way that is located on the campus of Idaho State University. By Dee Klenck |
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