Hartwig pushes own M40 record even higher, vaults 18-1

In 1970, a Greek named Christos Papanicolaou became the first man to clear 18 feet in the vault. I vividly recall the cover of Track & Field News documenting the milestone — showing Chris flying over the bar, seemingly in the dark. Track nuts went ape-shit. The mark made headlines around the world. Yesterday at the DakotaDome in Vermillion, Jeff Hartwig raised his own M40 world indoor record to 5.51 (18-1). The world hardly noticed. On the Age-Graded Tables, Jeff’s 5.51 is equivalent to an open mark of 6.08 (19-11 1/2). Jeff’s all-time best is the American outdoor record: 19-9 1/4. Nice jump, Jeff. Keep ’em coming — all the way to Beijing.