Career Highlights

Nine-time U.S. Outdoor champion ('96, '97, '99-'05); 2000 Olympic gold medalist; Two-time World champion (1999 & 2001); 1997 World Indoor champion; Eight-time U.S. Indoor champion ('96-'01, '03, '04); 2001 Goodwill Games and IAAF Grand Prix Final champion; Two-time Jesse Owens Award winner ('00, '01)

Dragila in 2009 enters what will be her final season of competition. After two seasons plagued by injury, Dragila returned to the international scene in 2008 with a season best 4.70m/15-5...Dragila made her second Olympic team after she won her 8th pole vault crown outdoors at the 2004 Olympic Trials…her clearance of 4.83m/15-10 earlier in the summer at Ostrava was the best women’s outdoor vault in history at the time, and it is the current American record…a foot injury hampered her Olympic performance and kept her from making the final in Athens…she rebounded in 2003 after an injury-plagued 2002 season, briefly holding the world indoor record once again in 2003, clearing 4.78/15-8.25 at the USA Indoor Champs to win her 7th national indoor title…Svetlana Feofanova retook the record at 2003 World Indoors (4.80m/15-9)…at 2004 World Indoors, Dragila matched her then outdoor PR with her silver-medal height of 4.81/15-9.25…it took a world record of 4.86/15-11.25 by Yelena Isinbayeva to beat her…in 2001, Dragila had one of her finest seasons, setting 8 world records…early in 2001, she broke the world record in her event on four occasions – peaking at 4.70m/15-5 – during the 2001 indoor campaign before claiming her sixth U.S. Indoor title with a clearance of 4.70 meters/15 feet, 5 inches…she also broke her own outdoor world record four times (ending at 4.81m/15-9.25), won her fifth U.S. Outdoor title (4.62m/15-1.75), first Goodwill Games gold medal (4.55m/14-11) and the IAAF Grand Prix Final title (4.50m/14-9)…she successfully defended her 1999 World Outdoor Championships crown by winning in Edmonton in 2001 with a clearance of 4.75m/15-7, a new Championships record…Dragila won the first-ever women’s Olympic pole vault in 2000…landed on the cover of Wheaties box shortly after…she competed twice in the California state HS meet in the hurdles and placed 2nd in the 1990 Golden West meet in the 400mH (63.70)…the late coach John Orognen recruited her to Yuba College and trained her for the heptathlon…as a junior at Idaho State, Dragila and the rest of the women heptathletes were told by coach Nielsen to try to vault over 6 feet…graduated from Idaho State with a degree in physical education/health education. Dragila is active with Big Brothers/Big Sisters…underwent surgery in late September 1998 to repair the fractured navicular bone in her foot…became the first woman to win the world indoor championship in the pole vault in 1997, equaling the world record of 14-5.75. In 1999 at the IAAF World Outdoor Championships in Seville, Dragila became the first woman ever to win a pole vault outdoor title by equaling the world record of 15-1…the city of Pocatello has named a street after her, Dragila Way is located on the campus of Idaho State University …web site is www.stacydragila.com... became engaged to distance thrower Ian Waltz in early 2008.

2009: 3rd at USA Outdoors (4.55m/14-11)…2nd at adidas Track Classic (4.42m/14-6)…2nd at Reebok Grand Prix (4.52m/14-10)…2nd at Millrose Games (4.61m/15-1.5)…2nd at Reebok BIG (4.42m/14-6)…2nd at Tyson Invitational (4.53m/14-10.25).
2008: 7th at Olympic Trials (4.40m/14-05.25)…4th at adidas Track Classic (4.47m/14-8)…7th in London (4.55m/14-11)…1st at Chula Vista (4.70m/15-5)…ranked #9 in the U.S. by T&FN…best of 4.70m/15-5.
2007: 1st at Road to Eugene (4.50m/14-9)...6th at adidas Track Classic (4.29m/14-0.75)…best of 4.50m/14-9.
2006: did not compete due to injury
2005: USA Outdoor champion (4.45m/14-7.25)...8th in Group B at World Outdoors (4.40m/14-5.25)...2nd at Lausanne (4.60m/15-1)...3rd at Reebok Grand Prix (4.30m/14-1.25)...7th at Donetsk meet (4.50m/14-9.25)...1st at Pole Vault Summit (4.55m/14-11i)...1st at Millrose Games (4.48m/14-8.25i)...ranked #10 in the world (#1 U.S.) by T&FN...best of 4.60m/15-1.
2004: World Indoors silver medalist (4.81m/15-9.25PR)...USA Indoor champ (4.70m/15-5)...Olympic Trials champion (4.75m/15-7)...7th in Group A and did not advance to finals at Olympic Games (4.30m/14-1.25)...1st at Nike Prefontaine Classic (4.70m)...1st at Golden Spike Ostrava (4.83m/15-10AR)...1st at El Paso (4.70m/15-5)...1st at Payton Jordan US Open (4.70m/15-5)...1st at Kassel (4.78m/15-8.25)...1st at Modesto Relays (4.55m/14-11)...1st at Seville (4.50m/14-9)...2nd at Phoenix (4.60m/15-1)...1st at Flagstaff (4.71m/15-5.5i)...1st at Pole Vault Summit (4.70m/15-5)...1st at adidas Boston Indoor Games (4.61m/15-1.5i)...1st at Verizon Millrose Games (4.64m/15-2.75i)... 1st at Tyson Foods Invitational (4.71m/15-5.5i)...ranked #3 in the world (#1 U.S.) by T&FN...best of 4.83m/15-10.
2003: USA Outdoor Champion (4.50m/14-9)...4th World Outdoor Championships (4.55m/14-11)...Set AR in winning USA Indoor Championship (4.78m/15-8.25)...no height at World Indoors...3rd at IAAF World Athletics Final (4.50m/14-9)...set ARs earlier in the season with a 4.71m/15-5.5 clearance at the adidas Boston Indoor Games, then raised it to 4.72m/15-5.75 at the Verizon Millrose Games...won Tyson Foods Invitational (4.55m/14-11)...1st at Modesto Relays (4.61m/15-1.5 )...1st at Drake Relays (4.62m/15-1.75)...1st at Nike Prefontaine Classic Outdoor (4.62m/15-1.75)...1st at Home Depot Invitational (4.50m/14-9)...2nd at Ostrava (4.58m/15-0.25)...ranked #5 in world (#1 U.S.) by T&FN...best of 4.78m/15-8.25i
2002: USA Outdoor champion (4.65m/15-3)...won at Nike Prefontaine Classic (4.72m/15-5.75) and Oracle U.S. Open (4.32m/14-2)...won at Rovereto (4.72m/15-5.75)...won at Padova (4.62m/15-1.75)...won at Mt. SAC (4.55m/14-11)...won Verizon Millrose Games (4.55m/14-11)...did not compete at USA Indoor champs (injured)...4th at London (4.52m/14-10)...3rd at Glasgow (4.50m/14-9)...ranked #4 in the world (#1 U.S.) by T&FN...best of 4.72m/15-5.75.
2001: World Outdoor champion (4.75m/15-7)...Goodwill Games gold medalist (4.55m/14-11)...IAAF Grand Prix Final champion (4.50m/14-9)...USA Outdoor champ (4.62m/15-1.75)...opened the 2001 outdoor season with two WRs April 28 at the Idaho State Springfest in Pocatello, first clearing 4.65m/15-3, then raising the record again to 4.70m/15-5...On June 9 at the Peregrine Systems U.S. Open, she added her seventh and eighth records of the year, first vaulting 4.71m/15-5.5, then clearing 4.81m/15-9.25...won US Indoors (4.56m/14-11.5)...broke WR four times during indoor season - at the Millrose Games (4.63m/15-2.25) on February 2 in New York City, at a meet in Pocatello on February 9 (4.65m/15-3), and twice at the adidas Golden Spike Invitational in Pocatello on February 17. She first cleared 4.66m/15-3.5 before successfully clearing 4.70m/15-54th at World Indoors (4.51/14-9.5)...won Jesse Owens Award for outstanding U.S. track and field athlete..ranked #1 in world (#1 U.S.) by T&FN...best of 4.81m/15-9.25.
2000: Won Olympic gold with a clearance of 4.60m/15-1... broke WR on five occasions, indoors and out, during the year ... outdoors, broke her own WR with 4.62m/15-1.75 at the Sky Invitational May 26 in Phoenix...won Olympic trials and set a new WR at 4.63m/15-2.25... had a great indoor season, breaking the American indoor record four times and the world indoor record three times...on Feb. 19 in her favorite pit at Pocatello, Idaho, she broke the world indoor record twice, first clearing 4.57m/15-0, then clearing 4.61m/15-1.5, a centimeter over her world outdoor record... raised the world record to 4.62m/15-1.75 while winning the USA Indoor title for the 5th-straight time winning a $50,000 bonus for the WR...won Jesse Owens Award for outstanding U.S. track and field athlete ...ranked #1 in world (#1 U.S.) by T&FN...best of 4.63m/15-2.25.
1999: Won gold at World Champs (15-1 WR, AR)... 8th at World Indoor Champs...won USA Indoors (14-7.25) and Outdoors (14-7.25)... ranked #1 in world (#1 U.S.) by T&FN...best of 15-1.
1998: Won USA Indoors (14-1.75)...2nd at USA Outdoors (13-5.25)... jumped PR of 14-8.75 indoors to win at Sindelfingen... jumped outdoor best of 14-6 in May in Pocatello...no-height at Goodwill Games; MRI afterwards revealed a fractured navicular bone...ranked #6 in world (#1 in U.S.) by T&FN...best of 14-8.75.
1997: Won World Indoor gold (14-5.25 WR) and USA Indoor (13-1.5)... won PV at USA Outdoors (14-1.75) ... competed in a heptathlon, scoring 5029...ranked #2 in world (#1 U.S.) by T&FN... best of 14-7.25, also 5393 for heptathlon.
1996: Won USA Indoors (13-5.25)...won USA Outdoors (13-9.25 AR)...ranked #1 in U.S. by T&FN... best of 13-9.25, also 5291 heptathlon.
1995: 2nd in heptathlon at Big Sky Champs... 2nd in PV at USA Outdoors (11-5.75)...jumped 12-1.5 in the dual against Great Britain...ranked #2 in U.S. by T&FN...best of 12-1.5, also 5240 for heptathlon.

Olympic Experience

2-time Olympian; 1-time Olympic medalist (1 gold)

Olympic Games Athens 2004, 19th (Pole Vault - Women)
Olympic Games Sydney 2000, gold (Pole Vault - Women)

World Championships Experience

Most recent: 2009 – 22th (Pole Vault - Women)
Years of participation: Pole Vault - Women 1997, 1999, 1999, 2001, 2001, 2003, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2009;
Medals: 4 (3 gold, 1 silver)

Gold – 2001 (Pole Vault - Women); 1999 (Pole Vault - Women); 1997 (Pole Vault - Women);
Silver – 2004 (Pole Vault - Women);

Athlete Bio

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Hometown

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