Athletics at the 1968 Summer Olympics – Men's pole vault

Men's pole vault at the Games of the XIX Olympiad
Eventual bronze medallist Wolfgang Nordwig led the qualifying round alongside John Pennel.
Venue	Estadio Olímpico Universitario
Dates	14 and 16 October
Medalists
01 ! Bob Seagren  United States 02 ! Claus Schiprowski  West Germany 03 ! Wolfgang Nordwig  East Germany
← 1964 1972 →

01 !		Bob Seagren	United States
02 !		Claus Schiprowski	West Germany
03 !		Wolfgang Nordwig	East Germany

The men's pole vault was one of four men's jumping events on the athletics program at the 1968 Summer Olympics. The competition had two rounds, qualifying and a final, which were held on 14 and 16 October respectively at the Estadio Olímpico Universitario in Mexico City.

Bob Seagren, who had set a world record of 5.41 m (17 ft 8 ³⁄₄ in) a month earlier, won the gold medal for the United States. The medallists, Seagren, Claus Schiprowski, and Wolfgang Nordwig, all finished the competition with the same height (5.40 m (17 ft 8 ¹⁄₂ in)) and the trio shared in breaking Fred Hansen's Olympic record of 5.10 m (16 ft 8 ³⁄₄ in) set at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. Both Seagren and Schiprowski cleared the winning height on their second attempt and were separated by Schiprowski having two misses earlier in the competition, while Seagren only had one. Nordwig entered the final height, tied with Seagren with only one miss earlier in the competition, but Nordwig took three attempts to clear the winning height. Of the top five competitors, only Schiprowski would not hold the World record at some point in time. Tenth place Kjell Isaksson would also hold the world record.

The competition consisted of two rounds, qualification and final. In both rounds, each athlete had three attempts at each height and was eliminated from the competition if he failed to clear that height. Athletes could choose to pass onto the next height, although any failed attempts were carried over into that height. The heights increased in increments of five centimetres. Athletes who successfully jumped the qualifying height 4.90 m (16 ft 0 ³⁄₄ in) progressed to the final round. In the event that fewer than twelve athletes cleared that height, the best twelve athletes (including those tied with athletes in the top twelve) would progress to the next round.