Dancing in the rain

It’s August 14, 1994. The second day of the decathlon at the Helsinki 1994 European Championships on the Olympic Stadium. It’s the eighth event – the pole vault.

A man of great experience, the Frenchman Alain Blondel is struggling with 5.20 m. He has cleared 5.00 m, decided to pass 5.10 m, and is now facing his third attempt at 5.20 m. Blondel is concentrating hard. But at that very moment it starts to rain. No, not just rain – it starts pouring. Despite the downpour, Blondel clears the height.

Only two men are left in the pole vault: the Frenchman and the Estonian, Erki Nool. The average and weaker vaulters escaped the rain and managed to score their points, but the leading vaulters finish 20 to 30 centimetres below their usual standards. Blondel has never won a championship medal. Not a single one.

The bar is raised to 5.40 m, and Blondel has a chance to show his rivals what he is capable of. He wants his jump to be perfect. Standing on the runway, he tries to dry his pole, but it is hopeless – the rain keeps pouring down. There seems to be no end to it; if anything, it is getting even worse. One can barely see the runway or the bar on television. Only a true professional could execute proper technique in such conditions. Blondel’s personal best is 5.40 m. If he can clear 5.40 m, perhaps he can even go on to clear 5.60 m.

Blondel stands at the far end of the runway, pole in hand. Thousands of anxious spectators, both in the stadium wrapped in raincoats and at home in front of their television sets, are watching his every move.

And there he goes!

He sails over the bar, lands in the waterlogged pit with water splashing in every direction, and celebrates with a winner’s somersault.

Nool, who had earned a miss at the same height, is eyeing his competitor’s performance. Nool is shaking his head, drops of water flying all around. The cameramen are filming him up close. His whole posture seems to say that it’s not possible that Blondel cleared the height. With this jump, Blondel demonstrated that he is not only a tough competitor but also a winner at last. He is the European Champion!