Steve Lewis: biography

Steve Lewis is a bright young hope for British pole vaulting. With a personal best of 5.75 meters indoors and 5.72 meters outdoors he has his eyes firmly set on a medal at the 2012 Olympics in London.

Beginnings

Born on 20 May 1986 in Stoke-on-Trent, Steve Lewis is the current British number 1 Pole Vaulter. He originally began his athletics career as a hurdler but after trying that among a few other disciplines he decided to follow in his brothers' footsteps and give pole vault a try. His first pole vault win came in 1998 at just 12 years old when he cleared
2.60 meters to win the PVS -13 competition.

Career

Since his first competition Steven has moved on to the next level as a vaulter and was first noticed as the next big talent in the event in 2000 when he won the AAA's (National Championships) with a height of 3.70 meters. In 2003 he earned himself an international vest by being chosen for the World Youth Games where he not only came home with a bronze medal but also broke the illusive 5m barrier with a clearance of 5.05 meters. He continued to make a name for himself on the international circuit, being invited to compete in several grand Prix events before the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Sydney , Australia. It was here that he showed even further improvement by jumping 5.50 meters and claiming the Bronze medal, his first at a senior major championship. In 2010 at the Delhi Commonwealth Games Steven went one better and won the Silver medal behind Australian Steve Hooker with a clearance of
5.60 meters. 2011 is the year of the World Championships and after a year of changing his technique in 2010 he has already shown some of the changes are paying off with 2 out of four competitions so far this season seeing him go over
5.50 meters. Along with the Worlds this year the Olympics are firmly set in his sights as is coming away with a medal at the event along with breaking Nick Buckfield's British record and becoming a member of the exclusive 6m vaulter club. If he continues to talk to his poles in a competition as he currently does to make sure as he says "we're on good terms" he'll no doubt be a name to watch in the coming years.

Achievements

As well as winning several national titles he also has some great results from major championships. 2003 - 3rd World Youth Championships
2006 - Commonwealth Games 3rd
2009 - World Championships equal 7th
2010 - Commonwealth Games 2nd