Hooker Wins World Tour Event in Melbourne

WAIS pole vault athlete Steve Hooker has extended his 2009 winning streak to seven wins after clearing 5.80m at the World Athletics Tour event in Melbourne on Thursday evening.

Hooker has proved an unbeatable force so far this year, with some pundits likening his record to that of the great Australian track star Cathy Freeman. And on the evidence of Hooker’s most recent performances, it doesn’t seem far fetched after he saw off the challenges of Beijing Olympic silver medalist, Yevgeniy Lukyanenko (5.60m) and fellow WAIS pole vaulter Paul Burgess (5.45m).

Hooker attempted to clear 6m for the first time in his native Melbourne but was unable to make the clearance in chilly conditions at Olympic Park.

“The tailwind helped me move through the poles in my set and the last pole I attempted was the biggest pole I’ve attempted all season,” Hooker said.

“I felt it was there, but the fact that the wind was a little blustery just made it a little difficult to predict where to put the stands.

“We probably had the best conditions of all the events, we generally had a tailwind all night. It was a little bit blustery and a bit cold, but the rain stayed away and it was about as good as we could have hoped for I think.”

The national series now moves to Brisbane for the 87th Australian Athletics Championships and Selection Trials, to be held from March 19-21 at Queensland Sport and Athletic Centre.