Timothy William Bright (born July 28, 1960) is an American retired athlete in the

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, bar. Pole jumping was already practiced by the ...

and the

decathlon The decathlon is a combined event in athletics consisting of 10 track and field events. The word "decathlon" was formed, in analogy to the word "pentathlon", from Greek δέκα (''déka'', meaning "ten") and ἄθλος (''áthlos'', or ἄ ...

Collegiate career

Bright participated in track & field at Linn-Benton Community College from 1978-80, earning NJCAA all-America honors his sophomore year, and then transferred to

Abilene Christian University Abilene Christian University (ACU) is a Private university, private Christian research university in Abilene, Texas, United States. It is classified by the Carnegie Foundation as an R2 (High Research Spending and Doctorate Production) institutio ...

. In 1991, he was elected to the NWAC Hall of Fame.

International career

Bright represented the United States in the decathlon at the 1984 Olympics, the

1988 Olympics 1988 Olympics refers to both: *The 1988 Winter Olympics, which were held in Calgary, Alberta, Canada *The 1988 Summer Olympics The 1988 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIV Olympiad () and officially branded as Seoul 1988 () ...

, and the 1987 World Championships, and in the pole vault at the 1985 World University Games, the 1985 World Cup, the 1991 World Championships, and the 1992 Olympics. In 1987, he scored a personal best of 8,340 points in the decathlon at the

USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships The USA Track & Field Outdoor Championships is an annual track and field competition organized by USA Track & Field, which serves as the American national championships for the sport. Since the year 1992, in the years which feature a Summer Oly ...

in San Jose. At one point, he held the decathlon world record for the pole vault at 5.70 m, set during the 1988 Olympics. In 1991 and 1992, Bright became an American champion the in pole vault. At the British 1985 AAA Championships, he finished second behind

Kory Tarpenning Kory Merrill Tarpenning (born February 27, 1962, in Portland, Oregon) is a retired American pole vaulter best known for finishing fourth at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, having previously competed at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul.

Post-career

In 2010, Bright took up a coaching career in men's pole vault at

Concordia University (Oregon) Concordia University was a private school, private Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (LCMS) university in Portland, Oregon, that closed in spring 2020. One remaining program, the accelerated bachelor's degree in nursing, continues to operate und ...

and

Lewis & Clark College Lewis & Clark College is a private liberal arts college in Portland, Oregon. It was founded in 1867 and is situated on the historic M. Lloyd Frank Estate in South Portland's Collins View neighborhood. It is composed of three distinct but adjac ...

. In 2019, he became a volunteer assistant coach for women's track and field at

Oregon State University Oregon State University (OSU) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Corvallis, Oregon, United States. OSU offers more than 200 undergraduate degree programs and a variety of graduate and doctor ...

Achievements

Personal bests

Information from

World Athletics World Athletics, formerly known as the International Amateur Athletic Federation and International Association of Athletics Federations and formerly abbreviated as the IAAF, is the international sports governing body, governing body for the sport ...

profile unless otherwise noted.

Outdoor

Indoor

References

External links

* * 1960 births Living people American male pole vaulters American male decathletes Athletes (track and field) at the 1984 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1988 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1992 Summer Olympics Olympic track and field athletes for the United States Track and field athletes from California Place of birth missing (living people) Concordia University (Oregon) People from Taft, California Sportspeople from Kern County, California World record holders in masters athletics Goodwill Games medalists in athletics Competitors at the 1990 Goodwill Games 20th-century American sportsmen {{US-decathlon-athletics-bio-stub