Above and Beyond. Tim Mack, the Pole Vault, and the Quest for Olympic Gold

Two Olympic medalists were recognized at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio, days before Christmas 2004. One was the Cleveland Cavaliers' LeBron James, the "Chosen One" of the NBA. He had a bronze medal from the Athens games that summer. The other was a Cleveland homeboy too, a gold medalist who had flown higher than anyone before on the Olympic stage. Hardly anyone knew his name. He was Tim Mack. His high school coach did not see anything particularly promising in the young pole–vaulter. Mack never made it to the state meet, and he was the first to admit he had a fear of heights. But thanks to his unflinching determination and confidence, Mack went on to prove that he was anything but mediocre. In 2004 the young athlete won the Olympic gold medal for pole vaulting. His jump of 19 feet 6–1/4 inches was not only Mack's personal best but the highest in Olympic history. Award-winning sports columnist Bill Livingston follows Mack as he practices one of the world's...