Brad Walker (pole vaulter)
![]() Walker at the 2007 World Championships in Athletics | |
Personal information | |
---|---|
Born | Aberdeen, South Dakota, U.S. | June 21, 1981
Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
Weight | 190 lb (86 kg) |
Spouse | Sage Walker[1] |
Sport | |
Country | ![]() |
Sport | Athletics |
Event | Pole Vault |
Medal record | |
Updated on August 11, 2012 |
Brad Walker (born June 21, 1981 in Aberdeen, South Dakota) is an American pole vaulter. He was the American recordholder and was the 2007 World Champion in the event.
High school
Walker attended University High School in Spokane Valley, Washington and competed in football, basketball, and track and field. In track, Walker was coached by Reg Hulbert and won All-Greater Spokane League honors following his senior season.[citation needed] Walker graduated from University High School in 1999 with a 3.89 GPA.[citation needed]
Collegiate and professional career
Walker attended the University of Washington, where he was a member of Phi Gamma Delta fraternity. While there, he became NCAA indoor pole vault champion twice and four-time NCAA All-American under Coach Pat Licari. In 2005 he became both indoor and outdoor National Champion.
Perhaps not among the favorites in the 2005 World Championships, Walker nonetheless won the silver medal with 5.75. Two weeks later in Rieti he set a new personal best of 5.96. In 2006 he won the World Indoor Championships in Moscow with a jump of 5.80meters. In July 2006, at Jockgrim, Germany, Brad Walker, cleared 6 meters, the best performance of the year, in a pole vault competition. He won the gold in the world championships on September 1, 2007. On June 8, 2008 Walker jumped in Eugene to a new personal and American record with 6.04.[2] Walker qualified for the 2008 Olympics, but failed to clear a height in the preliminary rounds.
Walker retained his US championship title in 2009, even though his status as reigning World Champion gave him a bye into the 2009 World Championships in Athletics.[3]
At the 2012 Summer Olympics, Walker reached the final but finished 12th with a 5.50m vault.[4]
See also
References
- ^ BRAD WALKER ON HALL OF FAME INDUCTION, SEASON GOALS FOR KATIE MOON - UCS SPIRIT NATIONAL POLE VAULT SUMMIT 2024 DyeStat
- ^ Kirby Lee for the IAAF. "American record 6.04m for Walker". Retrieved June 9, 2008.
- ^ Morse, Parker (June 28, 2009). World season leads for Demus and Merritt as team takes shape in Eugene - USA Champs, Day 3. IAAF. Retrieved on June 30, 2009.
- ^ "London 2012 pole vault men Results - Olympic athletics".
- University of Washington at the Wayback Machine (archived October 30, 2005)
- USA Pole Vaulter - Brad Walker at the Wayback Machine (archived May 30, 2013)
External links
- 1981 births
- Living people
- American male pole vaulters
- People from Aberdeen, South Dakota
- Track and field athletes from South Dakota
- Olympic track and field athletes for the United States
- Athletes (track and field) at the 2008 Summer Olympics
- Athletes (track and field) at the 2012 Summer Olympics
- Washington Huskies men's track and field athletes
- World Athletics Championships medalists
- World Athletics Championships athletes for the United States
- USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships winners
- USA Indoor Track and Field Championships winners
- World Athletics Indoor Championships winners
- World Athletics Championships winners
- Sportspeople from Aberdeen, South Dakota
- Australian Athletics Championships winners
- NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships winners