Earl Bell Becomes Only the Fourth Man to Clear 19-2 3/4 in Portland Meet
PORTLAND, Ore. — It was nearly midnight, and Earl Bell still was signing autographs at the pole vault runway in Memorial Coliseum.
He had just cleared 19 feet, 2 3/4 inches, breaking his lifetime best by 4 1/2 inches, at Saturday night’s Pacific Northwest Bell Indoor track and field meet.
He missed three times at a world indoor record 19-7.
“Good Lord,” he said. “Could you believe how high that thing looked?”
Only three other vaulters--Sergei Bubka, Billy Olson and Joe Dial--have cleared 19-2 3/4.
Bell, 31, said his performance was unexpected and boosted his confidence for the coming season.
“It looks extra good for me because I’m such a lousy starter,” he said. “Early in the season I’ve never been any good. Last year at this same meet I cleared 17-4.”
Olson suffered a similar fate Saturday night, missing three times at 17-8 and retiring for the evening.
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