Background: Approach speed is a major determinant of pole-vault performance. Athletic jump events such as long jump, triple jump, and pole vault can utilize an elevated track for the runway. Feedback from athletes indicates a benefit of using an elevated track on their results. However, there is no evidence that elevated tracks increase athletes` performance. Purpose: To investigate the potential advantage of using an elevated track during elite pole-vault competitions on run-up speed parameters. Methods: Performance and run-up criteria (speed, stride rate, contact, and aerial time) were measured from 20 high-level male pole-vaulters during official competitions on either a regular or an elevated track. Parameters comparisons were made between both conditions, and run-up parameters were confronted to speed modification on the elevated track. Results: Statistical analyses indicated that for the elevated track, there was a small improvement in final speed (1.1%), stride rate (1.1%), and takeoff distance (3.1%) and a small reduction in aerial time (-1.9%). The study highlighted different individual responses depending on athletes` capabilities. The authors noted that speed improvement was largely correlated with stride-rate improvement (r=.61) and contact-time reduction (r=-.51) for slower athletes. Conclusions: Elevated tracks can increase final approach speed in pole vault and positively influence performance. Interindividual responses were observed in these findings.
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