By Miranda Mitchell, World-Track
PARIS — After two seasons plagued by injury, former World and Olympic pole vault champion Stacy Dragila, the pioneer of the women’s event, ended her career at the DecaNation meet in Paris on Wednesday.
The 38-year-old American who won gold at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, the first Games in which women competed in the pole vault, was pleased to be part of history in the event.
“It was great to be a pioneer in the sport and to be the first one to win a gold medal at the Olympics,” she told reporters on Wednesday.
Dragila, who is also a two-time world champion returned from injury to represent the United States at last month’s world championships in Berlin, but failed to qualify for the final.
Following a 14-year fruitful career she said she now plans to become involved in coaching.