Billy Olson

American pole vaulter Billy Olson has set the world indoor record four times this winter, but he has not impressed Sergei Bubka, his Soviet rival. "He's never won a major competition, an Olympic Games or a world championship," Bubka said through an interpreter Tuesday during a press conference at the Airport Park Hotel. "He hasn't even made the Olympic national team. "If he was in a major competition, he wouldn't know which way to go on the runway."

Billy Olson, in the midst of another debilitating injury, is contemplating giving up his colorful pole vaulting career. "I'm like a bucket of bolts," Olson said by telephone from his Texas home. "And the pieces aren't fitting together any more. They're scattered all over me." Olson's latest injury is a full-blown fracture of the left tibia--his takeoff leg. "You can see halfway through the bone," he said.

Billy Olson broke his world indoor record in the pole vault with a jump of 19 feet 4 inches on his first attempt at Saturday night's Albuquerque Jaycee Invitational indoor track meet in Albuquerque, N.M. "I was a little conservative to start the meet," Olson said. "I was having some problems getting it together. Then I made some adjustments after the first jump and things just kind of fell into place."

In the confusing world of drugs and drug testing, Bob Bowman of The Athletics Congress would like to believe U.S. officials are doing what is right. For that reason, Bowman and his colleagues on TAC's National Board of Review earlier this year overturned positive results by pole vaulter Billy Olson and shotputter Augie Wolf.

People are usually glad to hear from Billy Olson. A likable Texan with a big smile and a twinkle in his eyes, he's a good companion, a guy who lights up a room. But when Olson talked to track promoters early last month, they were cordial only up to a point. When Olson suggested that he wanted to be in a particular meet, promoters hemmed and hawed and told him obliquely that there was no room for him in their fields. Now, Olson isn't just any athlete off the street.

Pole vaulter Billy Olson, who set an indoor world record of 19 feet 2 3/4 inches Saturday night in Canada, will compete in the Sunkist Invitational meet at the Sports Arena Jan. 17.

Three days after Christmas in 1985, Billy Olson vaulted 19 feet 2 inches, breaking a world indoor pole vault record that had stood for 21 months. In the next two months, the record fell eight more times, the climax coming when the Soviet Union's Sergei Bubka cleared 19-6 at the USA-Mobil indoor championship meet Feb. 28, 1986, in New York. When the season was over, the thought of clearing 19 feet no longer overwhelmed elite pole vaulters. The question wasn't who could do it, but who couldn't.

Billy Olson, in the midst of another debilitating injury, is contemplating giving up his colorful pole vaulting career. "I'm like a bucket of bolts," Olson said by telephone from his Texas home. "And the pieces aren't fitting together any more. They're scattered all over me." Olson's latest injury is a full-blown fracture of the left tibia--his takeoff leg. "You can see halfway through the bone," he said.

Two world indoor bests in the pole vault were set Saturday. First, Sergei Bubka of the Soviet Union pushed the mark to 19-5 at the Soviet National Indoor Championships at Moscow. Then, Billy Olson cleared 19-5 3/4 in the U.S. Olympic Invitational at the Meadowlands Arena in East Rutherford, N.J. Olson sailed over the bar on his first attempt, then had the bar raised to 19-8 1/2, one-quarter of an inch higher than the outdoor world record, set last year by Bubka.

There was something for everyone in the pole vault competition Friday night at the Millrose Games. Dave Volz got the meet record, Billy Olson got the victory, and Sergei Bubka got a lesson in American ingenuity. Or was it his brother, Vasily? The capacity crowd at Madison Square Garden may have to wait for the movie to figure this one out. First things first.

Three days after Christmas in 1985, Billy Olson vaulted 19 feet 2 inches, breaking a world indoor pole vault record that had stood for 21 months. In the next two months, the record fell eight more times, the climax coming when the Soviet Union's Sergei Bubka cleared 19-6 at the USA-Mobil indoor championship meet Feb. 28, 1986, in New York. When the season was over, the thought of clearing 19 feet no longer overwhelmed elite pole vaulters. The question wasn't who could do it, but who couldn't.

Officials are taking precautions to assure that the pole vault competition at the Mobil/TAC Indoor championships tonight at New York's Madison Square Garden doesn't create an international incident, as it threatened to do two weeks ago at the Millrose Games. In that meet at the Garden, officials issued 25 credentials to photographers, who were tripping over each other as they maneuvered for position around the vault pit. Maurice Lucas has nothing on some of these photographers.

American pole vaulter Billy Olson has set the world indoor record four times this winter, but he has not impressed Sergei Bubka, his Soviet rival. "He's never won a major competition, an Olympic Games or a world championship," Bubka said through an interpreter Tuesday during a press conference at the Airport Park Hotel. "He hasn't even made the Olympic national team. "If he was in a major competition, he wouldn't know which way to go on the runway."

After an inauspicious start Friday night in New York, the traveling pole vault circus, which had been advertised as the greatest show on earth, came Sunday to the Rosemont Horizon. Unfortunately for a Bally Invitational record crowd of 7,641, one of the three headliners, world indoor record-holder Billy Olson, stayed behind in New York.

There was something for everyone in the pole vault competition Friday night at the Millrose Games. Dave Volz got the meet record, Billy Olson got the victory, and Sergei Bubka got a lesson in American ingenuity. Or was it his brother, Vasily? The capacity crowd at Madison Square Garden may have to wait for the movie to figure this one out. First things first.

The Russian and his poles are coming. His name is Sergei Bubka, and he and an American, Billy Olson, are about to have the ultimate summit meetings. They will meet in mid-air, close to 20 feet high. The world's greatest pole vaulters will hit the pits Friday at Madison Square Garden in New York. Two days later, they will compete in Chicago, where Bubka probably will ask to meet the famous vaulter Payton.

Officials are taking precautions to assure that the pole vault competition at the Mobil/TAC Indoor championships tonight at New York's Madison Square Garden doesn't create an international incident, as it threatened to do two weeks ago at the Millrose Games. In that meet at the Garden, officials issued 25 credentials to photographers, who were tripping over each other as they maneuvered for position around the vault pit. Maurice Lucas has nothing on some of these photographers.

The Russian and his poles are coming. His name is Sergei Bubka, and he and an American, Billy Olson, are about to have the ultimate summit meetings. They will meet in mid-air, close to 20 feet high. The world's greatest pole vaulters will hit the pits Friday at Madison Square Garden in New York. Two days later, they will compete in Chicago, where Bubka probably will ask to meet the famous vaulter Payton.

Two world indoor bests in the pole vault were set Saturday. First, Sergei Bubka of the Soviet Union pushed the mark to 19-5 at the Soviet National Indoor Championships at Moscow. Then, Billy Olson cleared 19-5 3/4 in the U.S. Olympic Invitational at the Meadowlands Arena in East Rutherford, N.J. Olson sailed over the bar on his first attempt, then had the bar raised to 19-8 1/2, one-quarter of an inch higher than the outdoor world record, set last year by Bubka.

Billy Olson broke his world indoor record in the pole vault with a jump of 19 feet 4 inches on his first attempt at Saturday night's Albuquerque Jaycee Invitational indoor track meet in Albuquerque, N.M. "I was a little conservative to start the meet," Olson said. "I was having some problems getting it together. Then I made some adjustments after the first jump and things just kind of fell into place."