Lazaro Borges of Cuba is a freak of nature. He really is. The ridiculousness of his run aside, watch this video, and pause it midway through 9 seconds (9.5ish seconds…or 39 seconds, where the vault is shown in slow motion). Now here is your next task. Look at his LEFT arm. Notice how it is completely locked. His center of mass is sooo far back from where it should be. This, my followers, is text book jamming. In the Bubka model, the left arm (or bottom arm) should break, so the chest can rotate forward. By allowing a vaulter’s center of mass to move forward, 1. the shock of the pole goes over the vaulter’s head, and 2. the vaulter’s center of mass ‘pulls’ the pole into the pit.
Typically, when a vaulter blocks, he or she cannot swing a straight trail leg, and he or she resorts to tucking and shooting. Lazaro is a beast though. He has the athleticism of an animal, and he is huge. Like so many vaulters out there today, he could break Bubka’s record. He never will, though, because he won’t be able to get on poles large enough. As he moves up poles, he will begin to flag out. Oh well.
