Steve Hooker hobbled on one leg, knowing he had less than a handful of jumps in him, worked out his strategy, and, amazingly, won the pole vault gold medal at this year’s world championships in Berlin. Hooker, 27, the reigning Olympic champion, was a strong favourite before the event, but he tore his adductor muscle the week before competition. Instead of taking a month off, as advised by doctors, Hooker competed in the preliminary, qualifying for the final with his one and only vault, pain etched vividly on his face. Before the final, Hooker could not complete a warm-up. He was sure he had just one jump in him. With the bar set at 5.85m and four competitors left, Hooker played his card, thinking a successful vault could land him a minor medal. But he failed. So he attempted just one more – this time with the bar at 5.90m. He knew halfway through that he had nailed the vault, duly cleared the bar and snared a most unlikely and remarkable victory. Hooker is the first Australian male to hold both the Olympic and world championship pole vault titles at the same time.Jacquelin Magnay
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