Sergey Bubpka became the first pole vaulter ever to clear what had long been considered the unattainable height of 6.00 meters (19 feet 81/4).He did it at the Paris International Track and Field Meet on July 13, 1985.
When the Ukrainian Bupka first cleared 6 meters, he broke his own world record of 5.94 meters. That was the fifth time that he had broken the world record. After setting the mark at 6.00 meters, Bubka set twelve more world records, over a period of nine years. His record of 6.14 meters (20 feet, 1 3/4 inches) meters set on July 31, 1994, stood until Februrary 15, 2014 when Renaud Lavillenie vaulted 6.16 meters (20 feet, 2 1/2 inches).