Pocatello Pole Vaulter Finally Paid Record-Holder Had Prize Withheld After Inadvertently Covering Sponsor’s Name

Pole vaulter Stacy Dragila, the American record-holder for women at 14 feet, 7-1/4 inches, returned home to a pleasant surprise after a week of competition in Canada.

Nearly two months after winning first-place and $25,000 at the World Indoor Track and Field Championships in Paris, Dragila received notice that a direct deposit for that amount had been made in her bank account, ending a dispute between Dragila and the meet’s top sponsor.

“Yes, I finally got it,” Dragila, the American record holder in the women’s pole vault, said Tuesday. “I confirmed it’s there.”

The prize money was withheld because of a perceived snub of the meet’s top sponsor, Mita, Idaho State University track coach Dave Nielsen said.

While competing March 9, Dragila had folded her number and inadvertently hid the company’s name.

“In Europe, they think about that,” Nielsen said. “Because there’s a lot of advertising dollars involved there, because a lot of people watch it.”

Nielsen, who is Dragila’s coach, and Dragila, who helps Nielsen with the Idaho State track team, both worried Mita might take part of the $25,000 check as a fine. There was no such fine.

“It was my first time under those rules and stuff,” Dragila said. “I was hoping they would understand.”

The check was by far the biggest payday of Dragila’s career.

Her next major event is June 13, when she will try to defend her title at the U.S. Track and Field Championships.