MARCH 7, 2012
I am glad to announce that the penultimate meet of the indoor season went as planned. Brad Walker backed up his US leading mark in the pole vault with a US Indoor National Title and new indoor personal best. Brads clearance of 5.86 (19’2”) meters at this year’s USATF Indoor National Championships was good enough to secure his 5th National Title. The championships were again held at the Albuquerque Convention Center, which has pleasantly turned out to be one of my favorite venues in the world. Brad was even able to take three attempts at the magical 6 .00 meter mark, which would have made him the first US athlete to jump 6.00 meters both indoors and out. It wasn’t to be this day but this performance was an improvement of 4 cm from his previous seasons best, moving Brad into major contention for a medal at the 2012 World Indoor Championships in Istanbul, Turkey this weekend.
It would ‘t be out of the ordinary to assume that a two-time World Pole Vault Champion and the Outdoor American Record holder would have any problem making another World Championship Team. This is also magnified by the fact that Brad’s personal best was over a foot better than his closest competitors best mark. Again, it would be normal to assume this was a walk in the park if you didn’t know the whole story.
Many people don’t know that Brad took a terrible crash in Monaco prior to the 2009 World Outdoor Championships in Berlin, Germany. Brad took a complete jump in front of the bar and landed partially in the planting box. This accident was so severe that Brad was carted off and rushed to the hospital in an ambulance. The injuries he sustained were traumatic enough that Brad had to pull out of the World Championships later that summer. Image being held upside down by your feet 20 feet in the air and falling into a metal box dug into the ground. It is a miracle in itself that this accident didn’t end his career. Brad spent the next year aggressively trying to recover from the injuries he sustained that day and finally succumbed to back surgery in 2010. Brad recovered well and showed signs of form in 2011 posting the 4th highest jump in the world but failed to clear a bar at both the US Indoor and Outdoor National Championships. It is often said that it is the journey that is most remembered when an athlete achieves great successes. I look forward to personally asking Brad this question at the conclusion of the games this summer.
Perseverance
- Perseverance is commitment, hard work, patience, and endurance.
- Perseverance is being able to bear difficulties calmly and without complaint.
- Perseverance is trying again and again.
- Perseverance is never giving up.