Nick Buckfield

Nick Buckfield is a retired English pole vaulter and a two-time Olympian who held both the British indoor and outdoor pole vault national records for over a decade. Born on 5 June 1973 in Crawley, West Sussex, he represented Great Britain and England at the highest international levels throughout the 1990s and 2000s.

Career Milestones & Records

• Outdoor Personal Best: He cleared 5.80 metres in May 1998 in Chania, Greece, setting a British national record that stood for 14 years.
• Indoor Personal Best: He cleared 5.81 metres in February 2002 in Bad Segeberg, Germany, holding the national indoor record for 12 years.
• Olympic Appearances: He competed for Team GB at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and the 2004 Athens Olympics.
• Major Championship Success: His highest global finish was 5th place at the 1997 World Athletics Championships in Athens.
• National Titles: He was crowned the British AAA Champion five times (1995, 1996, 2002, 2003, and 2005).

Injury Challenges & Retirement

Buckfield’s athletic career was notably hindered by several severe, freak injuries. He suffered a fractured pelvis at the 1998 European Championships, a major abdominal injury in 2004 after falling directly onto his pole in Cottbus, and a ruptured Achilles tendon in 2006. Because of these persistent physical setbacks, he officially retired from professional competition in 2008 at the age of 35. 

Following his retirement from athletics, Buckfield transitioned into coaching and working as a professional sports masseur and personal trainer based in Sussex. He also explored endurance sports later in life, competing in long-distance Ironman triathlons.