Dumas puts record out of sight: 1,000 vault competitions
Dang! Gérard Dumas did it! Overcoming age and injury, Gérard, 72, competed in the pole vault for the 1,000th time July 4 at the Tacoma Beach Vault, reports his Canadian friend Roger Ruth. “Unfortunately, he pulled his right gastrocnemius in the warmup and had to settle for the starting height of 2.17 (although results said 7-0) on two strides,” Roger writes from his home in Victoria, British Columbia. “He’ll be back, and better.” I interviewed Gérard back in March, when he signaled his intention to clear 1,000 meets. At the time he was at 989. So this gent has been relentless.
On the eve of 1,000, Roger also wrote:
This season also marks his 60th consecutive year with at least one result in a sanctioned meet. And, by the way, he doesn’t intend to hang ’em up just because he reaches a thousand: He says he has eight more meets scheduled this year.
Congrats on an incredible milestone! Barry Bonds, eat your heart out.
