MOSCOW, August 22 (RIA Novosti) - Steve Hooker won Australia's 12th gold medal of the Beijing Olympics in the men's pole vault competition on Friday, leaving Russia's Yevgeniy Lukyanenko with silver.
Hooker cleared 5.90 meters, winning his country's first track and field medal of the games after the Russian's three failed attempts to clear the same height.
Lukyanenko, who earlier this year became the world indoor pole vault champion, took silver with a jump of 5.85 meters.
After clinching the gold, Hooker broke the Olympic record with a jump of 5.96 meters.
The bronze medal went to Denys Yurchenko of Ukraine, who cleared 5.70 meters.
Russia's Yelena Isinbayeva won gold in the women's pole vault on Monday, setting a new world record of 5.05 meters.
The world outdoor pole vault record is held by Ukraine's Serhiy Bubka, who cleared 6.14 meters in 1994.
