Pierre Quinon

Pierre Quinon (born February 20, 1962 in Lyon) is a retired pole vaulter from France. On August 28, 1983 he set a new world record with 5.82 metres. That day, after winning the contest, he became the first athlete to attempt to clear 6.00 metres in an official meet. Though he failed by a significant margin, "he didn't make a fool of himself," as his coach Jean-Claude Perrin said to the French media. Quinon's record was short-lived, however: on September 1, countryfellow Thierry Vigneron beat it by one centimetre.

In 1984, Quinon won the gold medal at the Olympic Games, with Vigneron placing third. Though both Frenchmen ranked among the favorites before the Games, Quinon's win was a minor surprise because Vigneron, usually the better performer, was expected to prevail. In 1985, Quinon finally improved his personal best to 5.90 metres, 10 centimetres behind the then-world record.

Major achievements

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*iaaf name|id=2345|name=Pierre Quinon