The pole vault is considered one of the most technically demanding track and field events. And not without reason. The pole vault has been a full medal event at the Olympic Games since 1896 for men and since 2000 for women.
The women’s pole vault world record has been held by Yelena Isinbaeva (Russia) already for almost 15 years. She is widely regarded as the greatest female pole vaulter of all time. Yelena Isinbaeva broke the world record at the Diamond League competition Weltklasse Zurich in August 2009.
Women’s pole vault is also one of the most attractive sports in the track and field, as during the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest, two athletes shared the gold after reaching an equal result of 4.90 meters. They were Katie Moon of the United States and Nina Kennedy of Australia.
Here are the Top 10 all-time women’s pole vaulters and video at the bottom:
No 1 – Yelena Isinbaeva (Russia) – 5.06m
Yelena Isinbaeva is a Russian former pole vaulter, who is regarded as the greatest female pole vaulter of all time. She is a two-time Olympic gold medalist (in 2004 and in 2008), a three-time World Athletics Champion (in 2005, 2007, and 2013), a four-time World Indoor Champion (in 2004, 2006, 2008, 2012), and European Champion in 2006.
Yelena Isinbaeva has a personal best of 5.06m, which is the world record in the women’s pole vault. She cleared that height at on August 28, 2009, at the Diamond League’s Weltklasse Zurich, winning the competition.
Yelena Isinbaeva is also an Olympic record holder, as in the Beijing 2008 Olympics, she cleared a height of 5.05m. Yelena Isinbaeva has cleared the 5-meter mark at the official athletics event 8 times in total, making her the world’s best women pole vaulter of all time.
No 2 – Jennifer Suhr (USA) – 5.03m
Jennifer Suhr is an American former pole vaulter, who has been an Olympic and World champion, as well as been ranked number one in the World. She has been the number one American pole vaulter since 2006 and has won a total of 17 US National Championships (7 Indoor, 10 Outdoor).
She is the London 2012 Olympics champion and Beijing 2008 Olympics silver medalist. At the 2013 World Athletics Championships in Moscow, she earned the silver, while at the 2016 World Indoor Championships in Portland triumphed with the gold.
Jennifer Suhr holds the world indoor and American indoor record in the women’s pole vault record at 5.03m, which is her personal best and also her all-time number-two achievement in the women’s pole vault. She cleared the 5.03m at the Brockport Golden Eagle Invitational on January 30, 2016. The same season, she also overcame again the 5-meter mark and cleared 5.01m at Fredonia Meeting.
No 3 – Anzhelika Sidorova (Russia) – 5.01m
Anzhelika Sidorova is a Russian pole vaulter. she won a gold medal at the 2019 World Athletics Championships and a silver medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
She also won silver medals at the 2014 World Indoor Athletics Championships and 2013 European Athletics Under-23 Championships, as well as the bronze medal at the 2013 European Athletics Indoor Championships. She is a Diamond League final and Continental Cup winner
Anzhelika Sidorova has a personal best is 5.01m, set at the 2021 Weltklasse Zurich Diamond League finals, becoming one of only three women in the world to clear the 5-metre mark outdoors. She won the title and wrote her name in the world athletics as the number three all-time women’s pole vault jumps.
No 4 – Sandi Morris (USA) – 5.00m
Sandi Morris is an American pole vault record holder. She won the silver medal in the pole vault event at the Rio 2016 Olympics and also won silver medals at the pole vault event at the 2017 World Athletics Championships in London and the 2019 World Athletics Championships in Doha.
In 2018 she won gold at the World Indoor Championships in Birmingham, which she achieved also in 2022 in Belgrade. She is one of the top American athletes and the most remarkable pole vault competitors.
Sandi Morris has a personal best of 5.00m, which she cleared at the 2016 IAAF Diamond League Memorial Van Damme in Brussels on September 9, 2016, to set the US women’s outdoor pole vault record and world’s number four achievement in the event.
No 5 – Katie Moon (USA) – 4.95m
Katie Moon is an American pole vaulter, who is the reigning world and Olympic champion. She won the gold at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest, sharing her title with Nina Kennedy (Australia), who is number ten in our ranking.
Katie Moon also won gold at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, and 2022 World Athletics Championships in Eugene, as well as the USATF Indoor Championships and NACAC Championships. She is also a silver at the 2022 World Indoor Championships and the 2019 Pan American Games silver medalist.
Katie Moon has a personal best of 4.95m, which is an all-time number-five result in the women’s pole vault. She cleared the height at the US Olympic Trials in Eugene, winning them, which paved her way to her first and only Olympic title.
Katie Moon is definitely one of the top women pole vaulters competing nowadays. She is one of the favorites for the title at the Paris 2024 Olympics and one of the biggest talents in the sport, who can attack the world record very soon.
No 6 – Eliza McCartney (New Zealand) – 4.94m
Eliza McCartney is a New Zealand track and field athlete who competed in the pole vault and won the bronze medal in this event at the Rio 2016 Olympics. She also won the silver medal at the Summer Universiade in 2015. In 2018, she placed second at the Commonwealth Games.
Eliza McCartney is the current New Zealand and Oceania record holder at 4.94m, which is her personal best and also the world’s number six all-time result. She reached that at the Jockgrim Stabhochsprung-Meeting in Germany on July 17, 2018. Two weeks before setting this record, she overcame the height of 4.92m at the Mannheim Bauhaus Juniorengala again in Germany.
Eliza McCartney is still in the top of the women’s pole vault, winning the silver at the 2024 World Indoor Championships in Glasgow. She is one of the favorites for the Paris 2024 Olympics medals and for sure can attack and improve her personal best in the event.
No 7 – Molly Caudery (Great Britain) – 4.92m
Molly Caudery is a British athlete who competes in the pole vault event for England and Great Britain. She is the 2024 World Indoor champion and also is the silver medalist at the 2022 Commonwealth Games and took bronze at the 2024 European Athletics Championships.
Molly Caudery holds the British national record for the women’s pole vault, with a best of 4.92m, achieved in 2024 at the Toulouse Capitole Perche meeting in France. This is also the world’s all-time top seven result in the women’s pole vault.
Molly Caudery is one of the most talented British and world athletes, as she is only 24 years old. She has plenty of achievements and medals, paving her way to success in the future and building her to be one of the best women pole vaulters. The improvement in her results can bring her to the Paris 2024 Olympics gold and why not to attack the world record, which is still unbeaten in 15 years.
No 8 – Yarisley Silva (Cuba) – 4.91m
Yarisley Silva is a Cuban pole vaulter. She won the silver medal at the London 2012 Olympics, being the first Latin American athlete to win an Olympic medal in that event. She is the World champion and World Indoor champion, as well as a three-time Pan American Games winner.
Yarisley Silva became the first Cuban woman to reach a world-class standard in the pole vault. She emerged at the regional level with a silver medal at the 2006 Central American and Caribbean Games, and a bronze medal at the 2007 Pan American Games. She then won gold medals at the 2009 Central American and Caribbean Championships in Athletics and the 2011 Pan American Games.
Her personal best of 4.91m is the Cuban and Central American and Caribbean records for the event. She achieved that result on August 2, 2015, at the Beckum Stabhochsrpung Meeting in Germany. Earlier in the season, she reached 4.85m at the Pan American Games in Toronto, where she also grabbed the gold.
No 9 – Katerina Stefanidi (Greece) – 4.91m
Katerina Stefanidi is a Greek pole vaulter. She won the gold medal at the Rio 2016 Olympics and has also competed at the London 2012 and the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. She was the 2017 World champion and earned bronze at the 2019 World Championships. At the European Athletics Championships, Katerina Stefanidi has won two gold medals (in 2016 and in 2018) and three silvers (in 2014, in 2022, and in 2024). Indoors, she is a two-time World Indoor bronze medallist from 2016 and 2018, was the 2017 European Indoor champion, and earned silver at the 2015 European Indoor Championships.
Katerina Stefanidi is also the three-time Diamond League Final winner and two-time European Team Championships gold medalist. Definitely she is one of the top Greek athletes of all time and the superstar of the pole vault.
Katerina Stefanidi has a personal best of 4.91m, which is also the Greek national record. She achieved that result at the 2017 World Athletics in London, when grabbed her first and only world title. This was the world’s number nine all-time best result in women’s pole vault.
No 10 – Nina Kennedy (Australia) – 4.91m
Nina Kennedy is an Australian athlete in the pole vault, who is the reigning world champion, who shared the title at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest with Katie Moon. Both athletes jumped 4.90m to share the gold in the event.
Nina Kennedy competed in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and won gold in the 2022 Commonwealth Games and triumphed with the gold at the Diamond League Final in 2023.
Nina Kennedy holds the national record in the pole vault, which is her personal best of 4.91m. She achieved that height at the Diamond League’s Weltklasse Zurich, improving her personal record of 4.90m reached at the 2023 World Athletics Championships, which was held a week earlier. The result of 4.91m is the world’s all-time number ten.
Nina Kennedy is one of the most prominent and talented athletes, as can be seen from her latest results. Definitely Paris 2024 Olympics, might be her jump to the world record and Olympic gold. We expect her to improve her personal best and why not to attack the world record.
Watch the video of the Top 10 all-time women’s pole vault results:
