Bubka Goes Over the 20-Foot Mark : Track and field: He breaks his pole vault record at meet in Spain, but it means more in the United States.

Sergei Bubka of the Soviet Union broke his own world record in the pole vault at a meet in San Sebastian, Spain, Friday, jumping 20 feet one-quarter inch in a performance he said he dedicated to the people of the United States.

Bubka broke his indoor world record of 19-11 1/4, set Feb. 27 at the Soviet national championships. He has talked of vaulting more than 20 feet for some time but knew that for much of the world--which uses the metric system--the 20-foot height had little meaning.

“It is a special present for the United States,” Bubka said. “I was in good form and I thought I would break the record. I’m happy because it is going to get a lot of attention in America.”

Indeed it will. Last weekend, Bubka won the Indoor World Championships at Seville, Spain, and tried three times to clear 20 feet. Friday night he cleared cleanly on his first attempt.

Bubka, who won the 1983 World Championships when he was 19, has established a body of performances that all but places him in the realm of the mythic. He has broken the world record 23 times. He has won every major championship, indoors and out, and has won by vaulting against the best in the world, not by ducking competition.

Bubka, 27, also is remarkable for his longevity and consistency.

“He could still be jumping when he’s 36 or 37,” said former U.S. Olympic vaulter Mike Tully. “He could jump when he’s 42.”

Bubka’s trademarks are his speed, which converts to height; and his strength, which allows him to use a pole much less yielding than most vaulters. This is a key because the pole bends and slingshots the vaulter over the bar. A stiffer pole has a greater slingshot effect.

Bubka’s pole is also one of the longest, a 17-footer rated at 215 pounds. He grips the pole higher than most vaulters, at about 16 feet 10 inches, gaining him a tremendous leverage advantage.

“His speed is amazing,” Tully said. “Most vaulters have a VW engine. Bubka’s got something else.”

Bubka, who has always reminded journalists that he is Ukrainian rather than Russian, has been something of a maverick within the tightly controlled Soviet sports system.

He recognized early in his career the value of showmanship, especially on the theatrical indoor circuit. Bubka and American vaulter Billy Olson captivated fans in 1986 with a multicity tour that featured electrifying vaulting and equally high-voltage sniping.

The feud reached its peak on Feb. 21, 1986, when both competed at the Times Indoor Games before 13,000 at the Forum. Olson had set the world indoor record the week before at 19-5 1/2. Bubka swore to break it and he did, at 19-5 3/4.

Bubka also was a proponent of capitalism long before the Soviet Union embraced perestroika’s liberalized economic philosophy. During that 1986 indoor season, Bubka demanded that appearence fees be paid to him, not the Soviet federation, which was accustomed to receiving prize money and fees meant for athletes.

His shrewd business sense led some to speculate that Bubka could have set a world record last week at the World Championships but was waiting for the largest world-record bonus offer. One report said he cleared 19-8 by 10 inches.

“My only comment is, it’s about time,” said Jan Johnson, who was a bronze medalist in the pole vault at the 1972 Olympics.

“He’s breaking it centimeter by centimeter,” Johnson said. “That’s the way to do it. He’ll get a bonus each time.”