Earle Elmer Meadows (June 29, 1913 – November 11, 1992) was an American

pole vault Pole vaulting, also known as pole jumping, is a track and field event in which an athlete uses a long and flexible pole, usually made from fiberglass or carbon fiber, as an aid to jump over a bar. Pole jumping competitions were known to the Myc ...

er who won a gold medal at the 1936 Olympics. His winning vault is featured in

Leni Riefenstahl Helene Bertha Amalie "Leni" Riefenstahl (; 22 August 1902 – 8 September 2003) was a German film director, photographer and actress known for her role in producing Nazi propaganda. A talented swimmer and an artist, Riefenstahl also became in ...

's film '' Olympia''. Meadows had a long rivalry with

Bill Sefton William Healy Sefton (January 21, 1915 – May 2, 1982) was an American pole vaulter. Sefton broke the pole vault world record several times in 1937 and placed fourth in the 1936 Olympics in Berlin. Athletic career Early career Sefton was a g ...

, his teammate from the

University of Southern California , mottoeng = "Let whoever earns the palm bear it" , religious_affiliation = Nonsectarian—historically Methodist , established = , accreditation = WSCUC , type = Private research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $8.1 ...

. They shared the AAU title in 1935 and the NCAA title in 1935 and 1936. In May 1937 they both set a new world record at 4.48 m and then at 4.54 m. Meadows set two more world records (indoor) in 1941, winning three more times.. In 1948 he cleared 4.42 m, but later finished only sixth at the Olympic trials and thus was left out of the Olympic team. In retirement he ran a musical instrument business in Texas. He was Inducted into the Texas Track and Field Coaches Hall of Fame, Class of 2016.

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* 1913 births 1992 deaths People from Corinth, Mississippi American male pole vaulters Athletes (track and field) at the 1936 Summer Olympics Olympic gold medalists for the United States in track and field USC Trojans men's track and field athletes Track and field athletes from California Medalists at the 1936 Summer Olympics {{US-athletics-Olympic-medalist-stub