Southern Defends Pole Vault Title

Taipei, Taiwan ? Former Husker Patrick Southern successfully defended his Deaflympics gold medal in the pole vault on Wednesday, Sept. 9 at Taipei Stadium in Taipei, Taiwan. Already the deaf world-record holder in the event at 16-7 1/4, which he set in Lincoln on April 15, 2006, Southern now owns the Deaflympics record with his winning vault of 15-9.

 

With the gold medal already secured after a clearance at 15-1, Southern went after the previous meet record of 15-8 1/4. A native of Carmel, Ind., Southern missed on his first two attempts at 15-9, before setting the meet record on his final vault.

 

“I just wanted the crowd to see a record broken.” Southern said. “I’m really thankful for their spirit ? it really supported me a lot, and I was glad to give the show.”

 

A letterwinner for the Huskers from 2002-06, Southern won his first gold medal at the 2005 Melbourne Games and will now have to decide on if he will go after his third straight gold medal at the 2013 Athens Games.

 

A 2006 graduate with a degree in mathematics, Southern resides in Lone Tree, Colo., where he is a pole vault coach at Douglas County High School.