The U.S. won every pole vault
 competition at the Olympics from
 1896 until 1968, when the Eastern
 Bloc took over dominance of the
 event.  Interestingly, the U.S.
 probably lost the Gold for the first
 time in 1972 due to equipment
 problems.  In the earliest pole
 vaulting events, the poles were
 made of heavy hard woods. 
 These were replaced in time by
 flexible bamboo poles and then, in
 the 1950s, by aluminum ones.  By
 the 1960s, fiberglass poles,
 fashioned after deep-sea fishing
 rods, became the standard. 
 Today, poles are made from
 carbon composite materials. The
 world record has shot from 15 to
 more than 20 feet with the
 introduction of these new poles.

Bob Seagren, the defending U.S.
 Olympic champion and world
 record holder, lost out to an East
 German at the 1972 Olympics
 when he was not allowed to use
 the type of fiberglass pole he
 preferred in the competition.  The
 Americans have never regained
 their preeminence in the sport, and
 have not won Gold since 1968.