Vaulter breaks pole during jump

There can't be too many more nerve-racking pursuits on the planet than the pole vault.

 

Flying up to six metres through the air, at the mercy of a fibreglass tube, it's little wonder accidents can happen.

 

This young man was one of the lucky ones - he seems to have done everything right until the pole snaps in three and he hurtles to the mat.  And who could forget the unfortunate soul at the Sydney Olympics who was hit right where it hurts?

 

But serious injuries can happen as well.  Just last year Austrian champion Kira Grunberg was left a paraplegic after a training fall.