University of Tennessee Athletics
Mack Ties For Sixth at World Championships
August 28, 2003 | Men's Track
Aug. 28, 2003
PARIS -- Former Vol Tim Mack (1994-95) landed in a tie for sixth place after leaping 18-8.25 in the pole vault finals at the Ninth IAAF World Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Paris, France Thursday evening.
Italian Giuseppe Gibilisco won the event with a vault of 19-4.25.
Mack passed on the opening bar at 17-4.5 before beginning his competition with a second-attempt clearance at 18-0.5. Mack found his rhythm and sailed over on his first attempt at 18-4.5 and his final bar at 18-8.25. Three misses at 18-10.25 followed to conclude Mack's run at the World Championships. Mack's final clearance at 18-8.25 missed equaling his season-best vault by 2.5 inches.
The former Vols enjoyed a fruitful run at the World Championships in this pre-Olympic year as each of the Tennessee three overachieved. Most notably, Tom Pappas won the world decathlon title after entering the meet with the world's second-best score in 2003. Mack finished tied for sixth in the pole vault after entering the meet ranked 13th on the 2003 world list. Gary Kikaya, in his first summer as a pro, finished tied for eighth in the 400m dash after entering the meet with the world's 19th-fastest time on the 2003 list.
Additionally, Pappas won the heptathlon title at the World Indoor Championships in March. Justin Gatlin's 60m dash indoor world title at the same meet gives the former Vols three world championships in 2003, the best total in the proud history of the program.
