Ath: Living on the edge, six metres off the ground

AAP General News (Australia)
08-23-2008
Ath: Living on the edge, six metres off the ground

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By John Coomber, Senior Sports Writer

BEIJING, Aug 23 AAP - When it comes to living on the edge, Steve Hooker takes some beating.

Four times his quest for an Olympic gold medal dwelt on the edge of disaster, and four
times he rose to the occasion - literally.

Although these extraordinary athletes propel themselves almost six metres into the
air, the margins that separate success from failure are tissue thin.

So much as brush the bar with a fingertip or trailing sleeve, and it topples.

Hooker cuts an amazing figure on the runway - with his full-length green tights and
his magpie's nest of carroty hair pulled back and restrained by a head-band.

So does his coach Alex Parnov, who sat in the front row of the stand, Australian cap
jammed over his eyes, and dying a hundred deaths with each attempt.

In even qualifying for the final, Hooker waited until his third attempt to clear 5.65 metres.

Then on final night, with the bar set at 5.80 metres, Hooker missed once, twice, then
launched himself over on his final attempt.

At 5.85, same story. He again missed with his first two.

On the third and final attempt he soared well over, then flung back his head as his
descending nose squeezed by with what seemed a cigarette paper to spare.

One by one his opponents dropped out, until there were just three left - Russian Evgeny
Lukyanenko failed at 5.90m, and Ukrainian Denys Yurchenko, who'd injured himself clearing
5.70, eventually pulled out.

The bar was set at 5.90. Incredibly, Hooker failed again with his first two attempts.

And once again, with the gold medal on the line, he nailed it with his third.

With that vault he became Australia's first male track and field Olympic gold medallist
in 40 years.

Parnov could restrain himself no longer. Without the aid of a pole, he vaulted over
the stadium fence and ran to embrace his man in an exuberant bear-hug of sheer joy.

But Hooker wasn't done yet.

He ordered the bar set at 5.96m, one centimetre higher than the Olympic record.

Again he failed with his first attempt, and then with the entire stadium cheering for
him, let the time for his second attempt expire and then come his final jump.

He planted his pole, flew in a high, graceful arc and fell triumphantly to earth.

Which is about the last time his feet touched the ground for the rest of the night.

AAP jc/tb

KEYWORD: OLY08 ATH SCENE (REPEAT)

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