Bubka Lifts Vault Mark to 19-10

Sergei Bubka of the Soviet Union broke his own world record in the pole vault Thursday, clearing 19 feet 10 inches on the second day of an International Amateur Athletic Federation meet.

Bubka, who bettered the mark of 19-9 he set last June 23 at Prague, made the height on his first attempt.

“I can tell you that I was doing 6 meters easily at my training sessions recently. I am in great shape,” Bubka told CTK, the official Czechoslovak news agency.

Bubka, 25, is the only pole vaulter to clear 6 meters (19-8). After his record-setting vault, he had the bar raised to 20-0 but symbolically walked under the bar.

“After breaking the record I had no competition and no motivation,” Bubka said. “To smash the world record twice in the same day is probably too much.”

The Soviet athlete said he would need a result in the range of 19-9 to win the gold medal in the Olympic Games at Seoul, South Korea, in September.

American sprinter Calvin Smith provided the other major highlight of the evening, winning the 100-meter dash in 10.07 seconds. His teammate, Nat Page, won the 400-meter hurdles in 49.65.

Czechoslovak and other Eastern athletes won 12 of 18 second-day events in the international meet.