Maxim Vladimirovich Tarasov

Maxim Wladimirowitsch Tarasow ( Russian Максим Владимирович Тарасов , English transcription Maksim Tarasov ; born December 2, 1970 in Yaroslavl ) is a former Russian pole vaulter who previously competed for the Soviet Union.

Maxim Tarasov is one of the few athletes who managed to become Olympic , world and European champions. Since his discipline was dominated by the outstanding Ukrainian Serhiy Bubka during large parts of his career , Tarasov's titles are spread over the entire 1990s.

Career

Until the Olympic victory

In 1988 Tarasov was second in the Junior World Championships. In 1989 Tarasov set three junior world records, the last with 5.80 meters. This record was set by Raphael Holzdeppe on June 28th, 2008 in Biberach and on March 11th, 2017 by Armand Duplantis in New York City with 5.82 meters. Also in 1989 Tarassow was Junior European Champion.

Tarasov won his first medal in the adult class in 1991 at the World Championships in Tokyo when he won bronze with 5.85 meters behind Bubka (5.95 meters) and the Hungarian István Bagyula with (5.90 meters). With the same height of 5.85 meters, the third representative of the Soviet Union, Rodion Gataullin, came fourth.

In 1992, instead of the Soviet Union, the Commonwealth of Independent States took part in the Olympic Games in Barcelona. In the pole vault, the CIS was represented by Bubka, Tarassow and Igor Trandenkow . In the qualification, Bubka and Tarassow jumped the required 5.60 meters in the first attempt, Trandenkow made the height in the second attempt. A total of six jumpers made the 5.60 meters; six more jumpers with 5.55 meters were admitted to the final.

In the final, Tarasov entered the competition at a height of 5.60 meters. He jumped the height just like the Spaniard Javier García and the American Kory Tarpenning on the first attempt. In the second attempt, the Finn Asko Peltoniemi followed suit . Only the American David Volz , who took the height on the first attempt, jumped at 5.65 meters . While Tarassow, Tarpenning and Volz skipped the 5.70 meters, five jumpers competed at this height. García and Trandenkow jumped the height on the first attempt, while Peltoniemi, Frenchman Philippe Collet and surprisingly Bubka tore at his entry height . Bubka also ripped off his second try, saving his last try for 5.75 meters. Tarasow and Trandenkow omitted this height. In the first attempt over 5.75 meters all jumpers failed, with which Bubka was eliminated. In the second attempt García managed the 5.75 meters, which should be enough for him to bronze, while Tarpenning mastered the height in the third attempt and was fourth. Tarasov managed 5.80 meters in the first attempt, Trandenkow in the third attempt and since both jumpers failed at 5.90 meters, the medals were distributed.

After the Olympic victory

Maxim Tarasov moved from Yaroslavl to Budapest in 1992 , but retained his citizenship. It started in 1993 for Russia, because from 1993 all states of the CIS started separately. At the 1993 World Championships in Stuttgart, seven of the top ten pole vaulters were from the former Soviet Union. Serhij Bubka won for Ukraine with 6.00 meters ahead of Grigori Jegorow for Kazakhstan with 5.90 meters. Bronze won for Russia Maxim Tarasov and Igor Trandenkow with 5.80 meters each.

After Tarasov had to skip the European Championships in 1994 , he was back at the 1995 World Championships . Among the top twelve were seven jumpers from the former Soviet Union, of which Andrei Tivontchik came in ninth for Germany. It won Bubka with 5.92 meters in front of Tarassow with 5.86 meters and the French Jean Galfione , who also crossed 5.86.

The 1996 Olympic Games won Galfione before Trandenkow and Tiwontschik. Tarasov was not at the start.

In 1997 Tarasov won bronze with 5.80 meters at the World Indoor Championships in Paris . The winner Igor Potapowitsch for Kazakhstan with 5.90 meters before the Americans Lawrence Johnson with 5.85 meters. In the outdoor season, Tarasow jumped over 6.00 meters for the first time. At the World Championships in Athens , Bubka won his sixth title in a row. At 6.01 meters, he was five centimeters from Tarasov. American Dean Starkey was third with 5.91 meters .

At the European Championships in 1998 in Budapest, his adopted home, Tarassow won 5.81 meters ahead of Tim Lobinger from Germany , who was the same height . Third with 5.76 meters was Jean Galfione.

1999 Tarasow jumped 6.05 meters on June 16 in Athens, his personal best. Apart from Bubka, nobody jumped higher until 2006 and only the Australian by choice Dmitri Markov also managed 6.05 meters in 2001. At the world championships Tarasov became the first world champion after Bubka. Tarasov jumped 6.02 meters even higher than Bubka in his six titles. Second for Australia was Dmitri Markov with 5.90 meters and third, the Israeli Alexander Awerbuch , comes from the Russian pole vault school.

Tarasow had his last major appearance at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney. Four jumpers were able to cross 5.90 meters, all jumpers failed at 5.96 meters. Gold was won by Nick Hysong from the United States, ahead of Lawrence Johnson , because of the multiple attempts rule . Maxim Tarassow won bronze in front of the German Michael Stolle .

Personal

With a height of 1.94 meters, Tarassov's competition weight was 80 kg. Today he lives in Budapest .

literature

• Peter Matthews (Ed.): Athletics 2002. The Association of Track & Field Statisticians Yearbook. SportsBooks, Worcester 2002, ISBN 1-899807-13-6 .
• Ekkehard zur Megede: The Modern Olympic Century 1896-1996 Track and Field Athletics. German Society for Athletics Documentation eV, Neuss 1999.

Web links

• Maksim Tarasov in the database of World Athletics (English)