Dmitri Markov

Dmitri Markov ( white russian Дзьмітры Маркаў, Dsmitry Markau; born March 14, 1975 in Vitebsk ) is a retired Australian pole vaulter of Belarusian origin.

At the Junior World Championships in 1994, he finished second. He became European Indoor champion with 5.85 meters in 1996. In the 1996 Olympics he was 5.86 meters sixth; the three medalists crossed 5.92 meters, it was won by Frenchman Jean Galfione.

In April 1997, his wife Valentina moved to Australia. Dmitri Markov launched not for Belarus. In April 1999, Valentina Markov received Australian citizenship after two years of residence. A month later, Dmitri Markov Australians.

At the 1999 World Championships in Seville Markov first came on for Australia. With skipped 5.90 meters, he won silver behind Maxim Tarasov, who jumped 6.02 meters. All three medalists learned the pole vault in the Soviet Union, but all had now shifted their center of life. Although the world champion Maxim Tarasov from Yaroslavl started for Russia, but since 1992 had lived in Budapest, and the winner of the bronze medal, the launching of Israel Alexander Awerbuch comes from Irkutsk.

At the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney was Dmitri Markov, of course, the Australian audience in the center of interest. Markov occupied together with Viktor Chistiakov, another New Australians, the fifth place with 5.80 meters. The four winners jumped 5.90 meters. Markov had indeed a trial for 5.96 meters saved up, would have sufficed for the gold, but he hit the pole. Olympic champion was the American Nick Hysong.

His biggest success Markov at the 2001 World Championships on August 9, 2001 in Edmonton. After he had skipped his initial height of 5.75 meters in the third attempt, he was from 5.85 meters, while four jumpers 5,85 crossed, namely Awerbuch, Hysong, the German Michael Stolle and Frenchman Romain Mesnil, who then in this order the 2nd to 5th occupied. Because Markov crossed 5.90 meters, 5.95 meters and then mastered even his personal best of 6.05 meters. This amount is Markov in 2006 still together with Maxim Tarasov on rank 2 of the time list behind the Ukrainian Serhiy Bubka.

At the 2002 Commonwealth Games Markov reached 5.50 meters a disappointing fourth place for him, it won the South African Okkert Brits. Also place four Markov reached at the World Championships in 2003 with 5.85 meters but he was the same height as Okkert Brits ( silver) and the Swede Patrik Kristiansson (bronze).; the Italian champion Giuseppe Gibilisco crossed 5.90 meters.

Neither survived at the Olympic Games in 2004 nor in the 2005 World Championships Markov qualification. But at the 2006 Commonwealth Games he won with 5.60 meters silver behind his compatriot Steve Hooker, who crossed 5.80 meters.

A chronic foot injury forced early 2007, the end of his career. At a height of 1.82 meters his competition weight was 82 kg.