 Dragila at the 2005 Reno Pole Vault Summit | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Stacy Renée Mikaelsen |
| Born | March 25, 1971 Auburn, California, U.S. |
| Height | 5 ft 7+1⁄2 in (1.72 m) |
| Weight | 137 lb (62 kg) |
| Sport | |
| Country |  United States |
| Sport | Athletics |
| Event | Pole vault |
| Club | Nike, Beaverton |
| Achievements and titles | |
| Personal best | Pole vault: 4.83 (2004) |
Stacy Renée Mikaelson known as Stacy Renée Dragila (born 25 March 1971) is a former American pole vaulter. She is an Olympic gold medalist and a multiple-time world champion.
Dragila was born and raised in Auburn, California, northeast of Sacramento. She participated in gymnastics but gave it up due to childhood asthma.
She attended Placer High School where she played volleyball and competed on the track team as a sprinter, hurdler, and jumper. She was coached by Yuba Community College's John Orognen. She competed in the 300 meters hurdles at the CIF California State Meet, but did not place. In 1990, she placed second at the Golden West Invitational in the 400 meters hurdles.[1]
She graduated from Idaho State University in 1995. At ISU, she competed in the heptathlon. She was introduced to pole vaulting by her coach, a former vaulter himself, and she participated in some of the earliest sanctioned women's pole vault competitions.[2]
Dragila won the women's pole vault competition at the 1996 U.S. Olympic Trials. Women's pole vault was a demonstration event at the Trials, and it was not included in the program of the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.[3]
In March 1997, Dragila won the pole vault competition at the Indoor World Championships and set her first indoor world record, 4.48 m (14 ft 8 in). At the 1999 Outdoor World Championships, she again won gold and set her first outdoor world record, 4.60 m (15 ft 1 in). Over the course of her career, she set or tied the indoor world record 8 times and the outdoor world record 10 times.
After winning the 2000 U.S. Olympic Trials and resetting the world record at 4.63 m (15 ft 2 in), Dragila won the first women's pole vault Olympic gold medal at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney.
The World Championships in 2009 was Dragila's final major championship. She finished with a jump of 4.25 m (13 ft 11+1⁄2 in), not progressing to the pole vault final.[4]
Although she jumped 4.70 m (15 ft 5 in) at age 37, her 4.55 m (14 ft 11 in) vault at age 38 in 2009 was the ratified W35 Masters World Record until 2017.
In 2014, she was elected to the National Track and Field Hall of Fame.[5] A combined high school/collegiate indoor track and field invitational, the Stacy Dragila Open, is held annually at Idaho State University.
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | World Indoor Championships | Paris, France | 1st | Pole vault |
| 1999 | World Championships | Seville, Spain | 1st | Pole vault |
| 2000 | Olympic Games | Sydney, Australia | 1st | Pole vault |
| 2001 | World Championships | Edmonton, Alberta | 1st | Pole vault |
| 2001 | Goodwill Games | Brisbane, Australia | 1st | Pole vault |
| 2003 | World Athletics Final | Fontvieille, Monaco | 1st | Pole vault |
| 2004 | World Indoor Championships | Budapest, Hungary | 2nd | Pole vault |
† The 1996 contest was a non-championship event
Stacy divorced Brent Dragila in 2006.[6]
She lived in San Diego, California, and is the founder of Altius Track Club.
Stacy now lives in Boise, Idaho, where she owns and coaches at a premier indoor/outdoor pole vault facility, Dragila Vault Co.[7]
She married American discus thrower Ian Waltz and welcomed daughter Allyx (an alternative spelling of the standard 'Alex') Josephine Waltz on June 21, 2010.[2]
