Dragila sets pole vault record

Athlete claims indoor mark at U.S. Championships

? Stacy Dragila has her matching set again: indoor and outdoor world records in the pole vault.

Dragila cleared 15 feet, 8 1/4 inches at the U.S. Indoor Track and Field Championships Sunday to break the world record she held until Svetlana Feofanova took it away 13 months ago.

Dragila missed on her first attempt at the record, and on the second she grazed the bar, but it didn’t fall.

“As soon as I cleared the bar, my stomach dropped. I knew the record was back in my hands,” Dragila said. “It’s been a long time coming.”

Dragila holds her event’s outdoor world record at 15-91¼4. A foot injury kept her from jumping her best for most of last year, leaving the door open for Feofanova. She broke the record for the first time in February 2002, then raised it five more times, most recently to 15-73¼4 on Feb. 21 in Birmingham, England. That’s where the two will square off March 14-16 at the world championships.

Regina Jacobs won the 3,000 meters in 8 minutes, 52.57 seconds to give her a pair of national championships for the weekend and 24 in her career. John Capel ran 20.69 in the 200 to beat defending U.S. champion and 2001 world champion Shawn Crawford.

In other action, Miguel Pate defended his long jump title with a mark of 27-1, and Dwight Phillips came in second. That left Savante Stringfellow, the U.S. outdoor champion and the top-ranked jumper in the world, out of the world championships.

Tisha Waller jumped 6-51¼2 for her sixth indoor high jump championship. Amy Acuff, who won in 2001 when Waller took the year off, came in second at 6-41¼4.

Kevin Toth won the shot put with a throw of 69-103¼4, and John Godina was second. That means Olympic silver medalist Adam Nelson won’t be on the U.S. team at the world championships.