World and Olympic champion Steve Hooker exits from Daegu (© Getty Images)
Defending champion Steve Hooker saw his hopes of a second successive Pole Vault gold medal quickly disappear on the opening day of the IAAF World Championships when failing to make a height in his qualifying round.
Hooker, who made a late start to his summer season after undergoing extensive treatment for an injury to his left knee which affected his take-off leg, disappointingly failed to clear his opening height of 5.50m.
The reigning Olympic champion was visibly having technical problems. On each of his three attempts he hesitated and then ground to a halt after his run-up instead of going into the second phase of his technique.
It was a major setback for the 28-year-old Aussie who earned the admiration of everyone including his rivals with his gold medal success in Berlin two years ago. Competing there with a torn abductor and neural problem, he didn't enter the competition until assured of a medal.
His brave decision in the German capital saw him rewarded and with just two attempts - he failed the first at 5.85m then cleared 5.90m - gatecrashed the competition and won the gold medal ahead of Frenchmen Romain Mesnil and Renauld Lavinellie.
But there was no such luck on this occasion for Hooker who in fairness travelled to South Korea well aware that once again the odds were heavily stacked against him. In fairness after two unconvincing performances since coming to Europe in July, on this occasion it was definitely a bridge too far.
Lavillenie and Mesnil easily took their first step in their bid to score an anticipated 1-2 when moving into Monday night's final with first time clearances of 5.50m and then 5.65m. However their colleague Jerome Clavier failed to progress. The European indoor silver medallist had a best of 5.50m but exited the competition on countback.
Apart from the two French stars, six other vaulters with the bar not being required to be raised to the qualifying height of 5.70m, also cleared 5.65m including Germany's Malte Mohr who in an impressive season is currently second in the Samsung Diamond League rankings behind Lavinellie.
The German 2010 World indoor silver medallist however had a first time failure at 5.50m before proceeding to 5.60m and then vaulting 5.65m both first time.
Pawel Wojciechowski who cleared 5.91m in a street meeting 12 days ago which broke the 23-year-old Polish record of Miroslaw Chmara was nowhere near that kind of form. The European Under23 champion went into the final but also on countback with his height of 5.50m.
The USA's Derek Miles - winner of the national title in June at the age of 38 - and Jeremy Scott went through with their efforts of 5.60m while the only Asian to make the grade was Japan's Daiki Sawano who also cleared 5.50m.
David Martin for the IAAF
