Pole vault is not a popular discipline here in The Bahamas, but that did not stop multi-event athlete Ken Mullings from aspiring for greatness in that event and breaking a 36-year-old indoor pole vault national record.
He leapt 5.20 meters (m) (16’ 6”) to win that event at the Illini Open on the campus of the University of Illinois Armory in Champaign, Illinois, on Saturday.
“I have jumped that height many times in practice,” Mullings said about his winning jump. “I just needed to produce the big jumps in meets.”
Illinois’ Aiden Ouimet was second with a height of 4.88m (16’). Finishing third was the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s Evan Bartelsen with a clearance of 4.58m (15” 0-1/4”).
Just last year, Vanderpool’s outdoor national record of 4.89m (16’ 0-1/2”) in the pole vault, that was standing since 1987, was broken by his son Brenden Vanderpool. The younger Vanderpool erased the old record it at the CARIFTA Games in The Bahamas last year with a clearance of 5.06m (16’ 7-1/4”).
For Mullings, he said he was pleased with his performance. He also did the men’s 60m hurdles and the shot put at the Illini Open.
In the hurdles, Mullings clocked a personal best of 7.83 seconds to win that event. Butler University’s Jack Elder was second with a time of 8.03 seconds and Ouimet was third in 8.14 seconds. The Bahamian was sixth in the shot put event as he threw a personal best of 15.25m (50 0-1/2”). He had that heave on his final attempt. He said he enjoyed the meet.
“I am seeing a lot of all-around improvement in training so my offseason was successful,” Mullings said.
This is a big year for athletes worldwide as the Paris Olympic Games is set for this summer. There is no doubt that Mullings has his eyes on that event.
“I’m trying to approach this year differently. I’m going to go practice to practice, and competition to competition. We’ll see where that takes me,” he said.
This is a promising start to Mullings’ season. He will be back in action on January 27, competing in the Illini Challenge at the same location.