Athletics: Record No 15 for Bubka

SERGEI BUBKA set his 15th world outdoor pole vault record when he cleared 6.12 metres at an international meeting in Padua, Italy, yesterday.

Bubka, whose failure to win the Olympic gold medal was the biggest surprise of all the athletics results from Barcelona, cleared the bar with plenty of room to spare on his first attempt at the height.

His vault improved the mark of 6.11m, which he set at Dijon, France, in June. He also holds the indoor record of 6.13m and has set 16 records indoors.

The 28-year-old from Ukraine failed once at 5.85m earlier in the competition but cleared that height on his second attempt. Bubka said he was convinced he could go even higher. 'Everybody thinks it is easy just to go out and break records but I'm a human being, not a machine.

'However, I will keep on training hard and I am sure I can take the record beyond 6.12.' Bubka will be in action again next Friday, in the Grand Prix final in Turin.

Results, Sport in Short, page 23