02.03.2009

"Problems" at Sydney Airport

When Athletics Australia media manager David Culbert sent this photo around at lunchtime yesterday accompanied by just the one word "problems", it left those who received it shocked and intrigued yet quite amused.

Culbert along with Olympic pole vault champion Steve Hooker, 2006 world athletics final winner Paul Burgess and Athens gold medallist Tim Mack (USA) were at Sydney Airport, heading to Melbourne after the Sydney Track Classic.

However a 'slight incident' occured pre-departure, when Hooker's poles became jammed between an escalator step and the roof.

Hooker and his training partner Burgess were carrying the 5.2m poles to the plane after aeroplane officials had refused to let them put the poles in the oversized luggage area.

"We were taking the poles down the escalator and Steve was behind me and I saw this pane of glass ahead," Burgess told Jenny McAsey of The Australian.

"I put my poles down to miss it and then turned and said to Steve, 'Don't hit the pane of glass', and as I said that my poles hit this plaster wall and went into it."

After 45 minutes, the escalator was reversed, releasing the poles and exposing a sizeable hole in the roof.

"It was pretty shocking when it happened because it all happened really quickly," Hooker told the Daily Telegraph.

"There was a bit of a glass ledge and Budgie avoided that with the poles and he was trying to do the right thing by
turning around to tell me to avoid the glass and that's when his poles went into the wall. He was actually trying to do a really good thing, but it didn't work out that well for him.

"And then all of a sudden the poles were just into the wall and then wedged into the step on the escalator and then it was all out of control. They all started to go up into the roof and the poles in the bag started to bend."

At last check, Hooker's poles seem to have emerged undamaged, but he won't know for certain until he trains today.

The vaulters will be competing at Melbourne Olympic Park this Thursday night (March 5), when Hooker jumps against Beijing silver medallist, Russian Yevgeniy Lukyanenko at the World Athletics Tour - Melbourne.

Thanks to Queensland long jumper Jacinta Boyd and Jump Media's David Culbert for the images.

Click here to see a larger image and story in the Daily Telegraph

Photos and stories also in today's Herald Sun and The Australian.