Sergey Bubka – The world indoor record in Donetsk

Pole Vault Stars is an annual indoor pole vaulting competition which is typically held in February at the Druzhba Palace of Sports in Donetsk. The meeting was founded in 1990 by Sergey Bubka, the pole vault world record holder who grew up in the city.

Druzhba was built in 1975 as Druzhba Palace of Sports. The Palace was reconstructed in 2010. On the night of May 26, 2014, Druzhba Arena was ransacked by an armed group as part of the War in Donbass / Image source

The meeting traces its history back to 1990, when Bubka set a world indoor record mark of 6.05 meters. He went on to set two further world indoor records at the meet, clearing 6.11 meters at the second edition in 1991 and then setting a world indoor record of 6.15 meters in 1993.

He held the indoor world record of 6.15 meters for almost 21 years until France’s Renaud Lavillenie cleared 6.16 meters on 15 February 2014 at the same meet in the same arena.