Mark Hollis (athlete)
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Men's athletics | ||
Representing  United States
|
||
| Pan American Games | ||
 |
2015 Toronto | Pole vault |
| IAAF Continental Cup | ||
|
2014 Marrakesh | Pole vault |
Mark Hollis (born December 1, 1984) is an American track and field athlete who competes in the pole vault. His personal best for the event is 5.83 m (19 ft 1 1⁄2 in), set in 2014. He finished third at the 2014 IAAF Continental Cup.
Hollis is a three-time national champion in his discipline, having won outdoors in 2010 and indoors in 2011 and 2014. He represented his country at the 2011 World Championships in Athletics. He ranked second in the world in the 2014 season.
Hollis grew up in Freeport, Illinois, the son of John Hollis, a second-generation pastor of the Church of the Nazarene. He attended Freeport High School (Illinois) in Illinois and went on to study sports management at the state's Olivet Nazarene University. While there he competed for the college athletically in the NAIA championships, the lower-level national division. He was runner-up at the NAIA outdoor championship in 2005, won the title in 2006 and 2007, and also finished second at the 2007 NAIA indoor meet. Upon his graduation in 2007 he was the school record holder for the event both indoors and outdoors with marks of 5.34 m (17 ft 6 in) and 5.33 m (17 ft 5 3⁄4 in) respectively. He was later inducted into the university's athletic hall of fame.
In the 2008 season he turned professional and focused full-time on pole vaulting. His first season brought great improvement: in April he cleared 5.71 m (18 ft 8 3⁄4 in) at a Drake Relays promotion meeting. He improved to 5.75 m (18 ft 10 1⁄4 in) soon after – a feat which ranked him twelfth in the global lists that year. He competed at the 2008 United States Olympic Trials, but did not make the team. The following year he married his partner Amanda, who also served as his coach. That season he no-heighted at the United States Indoor Track and Field Championships, but his best performance of the year at the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, vaulting 5.70 m (18 ft 8 1⁄4 in) to finish in fifth place.
...
Wikipedia