Short Interviews
Mike Barber
Great Britain International

Great Britain International

Personal Best 5.45m 1996 age 23

Height 1.78cm

Weight 75kgs

Q1 Pole Vault High Point

Great Britain Vs France indoors Kelvin hall. Wasn’t a PB but I loved the competition. I jumped really well and should have gone higher. But remember the crowd was great as it was a small venue. Just loved the atmosphere.

Q2 Pole Vault Low Point

Not qualifying for a major champs. Our era was really competitive but it think if I had continued for a bit longer I was probably good enough to get to one.

Q3 Biggest Pole & Highest Grip

I jumped on a 5m 190lb but most effective pole was 16ft 195lb which I did Pb on.

Q4 What are your 3 key factors for success in Pole Vault

1 - Hard work (no short cuts)

2 -Set goals and stay focused on them.

3 - Love the event and learn as much as you can, enjoy the process.

Q5 Life after Poole Vault.

When did you know it was time to retire? Was it hard? What did you do after Pole Vault?

I didn’t really, I couldn’t afford to continue properly and had to get a full time job. Gradually felt I wasn’t doing I properly and stopped too early. Made a come back a few years later and jumped ok, but my time had gone. When I did finally retire it was because my body would do what it used too and injuries were getting worse. After athletics and have worked in sales and now run my own business. Initially I found I difficult not being an athlete anymore as it was all I ever wanted to do.