Earl Bell

Earl Bell (born August 25, 1955 in Ancón , Panama ) is a former American pole vaulter . He set a world record and took part in three Olympic Games.

Career

He came into the public spotlight in 1975 when he won the gold medal at the Pan American Games in Mexico City as a student at Arkansas State University . In 1986 he took part in the Goodwill Games in Moscow and won bronze.

Earl Bell is now a trainer. The athletes he supervises include a. the American record holder Jeff Hartwig , the silver medal winner of the 2001 World Indoor Championships Tye Harvey and the Olympic finalists Kellie Suttle and Chad Harting , In 2002 Earl Bell was inducted into the Hall of Fame .

Placements

• Olympic games

  1976 in Montreal : sixth with 5.45 m (the fourth to seventh place jumped this height; victory height of Tadeusz Ślusarski 5.50 m)

  1980 in Moscow : No participation due to boycott of the USA

  1984 in Los Angeles : BRONZE with 5.60 m (together with the French Thierry Vigneron ) behind Pierre Quinon (F) with 5.75 m and Mike Tully (USA) with 5.65 m

  1988 in Seoul : fourth with 5.70 m behind three Soviet jumpers: Serhij Bubka with 5.90 m, Rodion Gataullin with 5.85 m and Grigori Jegorow with 5.80 m

• World championships

  1987 in Indianapolis (Halle): Silver behind Serhij Bubka and in front of Thierry Vigneron

  1987 in Rome : fifth with 5.70 m (victory height of Serhij Bubka: 5.85 m)

• National championships

  US champions in 1976, 1984 and 1990

  US indoor champion 1980, 1984 and 1987

  NCAA champions 1975 and 1976 (outdoor and indoor) and 1977 (outdoor)

Records

• World record with 5.67 m on May 29, 1976 in Wichita , but just a month later his compatriot David Roberts improved it to 5.70 m.
• American record of 5.80 m, set on June 9, 1984 in San José

Web links

• USA Track & Field Hall of Fame entry