Further Information 

Competition Stats

AUSTRALIAN CHAMPIONSHIPS:
Pole Vault: 1996 – 1st (U18) 2nd (U20), 1997 – 1st (U18) 1st (U20) 2nd (open), 1998 – 1st (U20) 3rd (open), 1999 - 2nd, 2000 - 1st, 1st (Olympic Trials), 2001 – 2nd, 2002 – 1st, 2003 – 3rd, 2004 – 5th, 2005 - 1st, 2006 – 1st, 2007 - 4th (2nd Australian)

INTERNATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS:
Commonwealth Games: 1998 – 2nd (5.50m), 2002 – 2nd (5.70m), 2006 – NH
Olympic Games: 2000 - qual round (5.55m), 2004 – 11th 5.55m (qual 5.70m), 2008 - qual round (5.55m)
World Cup: 1998 – 7th, 2002 5th (5.20m)
World Junior Championships: 1996 – 1st, 1998 equal 3rd (5.20m)
East Asian Games: 2001 – 2nd (5.50m)
World Indoor Championships: 2003 - NH, 2004 - qual round (5.45m)
World Championships: 2005 - withdrew injured, 2007 - qual round (5.40m)

ANNUAL PROGRESSION:
1994 3.90m
1995 5.25m
1996 5.35m
1997 5.51m
1998 5.60m
1999 5.50m
2000 5.60m
2001 5.71m
2002 5.75m
2003 5.55m
2004 5.77m
2005 6.00m
2006 5.92m
2007 5.91m
2008 5.56m

EVENTS/PERSONAL BESTS:
6.00m - Perth, 26/02/05

RECORD(S):
National Indoor record - pole vault: 5.80m - Donetsk (UKR), 12/02/06
Australian Allcomers record - pole vault: 6.00m - Perth, 26/02/05
National Under 20 record - pole vault: 5.60m - Perth, 7/02/98

Interesting Facts

Paul won a silver medal as a 13 year-old at the National Gymnastics Championships. His hobbies include surfing and playing the guitar, often with mates in a band that has no name. His coach Alex Parnov has a pole vault PB of 5.82m, which ranked him sixth in the world in 1985.

Sporting Career

Paul broke onto the international stage with one of the great results of the 1996 Sydney World Junior Championships, clearing a personal best of 5.35m and winning the gold medal in a boilover. In defence of that World Junior title in 1998, he managed to finish equal third in 1998 before going on to win a controversial and belated Commonwealth silver in Kuala Lumpur after originally finishing third.

He surprisingly won the pole vault at the 2000 Olympic Selection Trials, securing a place in the Australian team for the Sydney Games. There he did not progress to the final after a clearance of 5.55m in the qualifying round.

2001 brought silver in the pole vault at the East Asian Games whilst April 2002 saw a second National title, a month after raising his personal best to 5.75m, before he added to his fine championship record by claiming another silver in the vault at the Manchester Commonwealth Games.

Paul opted not to pursue the 2003 World Championships, which unknowingly at the time contributed to his non-appearance at any World senior championships until 2007.

A good 2003-04 domestic season was finished disappointingly with a fifth placing in the Nationals and a non-finals qualifying vault of 5.45m in the World Indoors in March 2004. He prepared well for the Athens Olympics, primarily at home, only once vaulting below 5.60m and reaching a new PB of 5.77m. At the Games, he was the sole Australian to qualify for the final with an excellent qualifying round vault of 5.70m, eventually finishing 11^th with 5.55m.

The next domestic season was even better with Paul clearing 5.91m, 5.95m and 6.00m. The latter promoted him to the exclusive vaulters’ “six metre” club and a number eight on the-then World All-Time lists. He won a third National title in March. He injured his calf prior to entering the 2005 Helsinki World Championships village and withdrew from the team.

Resuming competition in December, he hit top form by late January and retained his National title in Sydney with 5.80m - then won a major international indoor vault a week later in the Ukraine with 5.80m before a no height brought bitter disappointment at the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne.

Things again were on the up later in the year, as Paul produced his most successful 2006 European circuit highlighted by wins in Mannheim and Rome and then at the IAAF World Athletics Final in Stuttgart with 5.82m - ending the year as World number two on the IAAF rankings behind countryman Steve Hooker.

2007 started well for Paul with a 5.91m effort in his home-town of Perth, however, the remainder of the Australian domestic season brought mixed results. Another win in Donetsk and a European outdoor tour - which included victory in Mannheim - preceded his first World Championships appearance. In Osaka, Burgess was unsettled and fell victim to the fickle nature of his event and despite going in well ranked, missed out on qualifying for the final.

Post Osaka has been a quiet time for 'Budgie'.  After missing the Australian summer, he journeyed to Europe and on June 15 recorded an Olympic B qualifier, showing a return to fitness and form.  Combined with his extensive International resume, the selectors have nominated Paul to the Australian Olympic Committee for the Beijing Games, in what will be his third Olympic Games.