Sergei Bubka

In July of 1996 Bubka was scheduled to compete in the Atlanta Olympic Games, but was forced out by an injury to his right Achilles tendon. Of his inability to compete in Atlanta, he told Duncan Mackay Athens in the London Observer, "That was a sad day in my career. I wanted to win in Atlanta because I have only one Olympic gold medal and I wanted one more." He told Ian O'Connor in the Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service that his injury, which began in April of 1996, "is proof that the Olympic Games are not meant for me." He took time off from training for surgery on his Achilles tendon, not returning to his sport until the summer of 1997.

At the world championships in 1997, Bubka was taken aback when Russian athlete Maksim Tarasove cleared 5.69 meters. Bubka, taking a risk, did not even try to jump that height, but had the bar raised to 6.01 meters, a height only he and two other athletes had ever cleared. It was a dangerous bluff: if he failed, he would lose. The 80,000 spectators waited tensely as he sprinted down the runway, planted his pole, and flew over the bar, winning the gold medal and setting a new championship record.

In 1998, Bubka underwent surgery on his Achilles tendon, which had bothered him for some time. By the following year he was still recovering from the surgery, and did not participate in that year's world championships. Although he was able to swim in order to retain his fitness, he could not put weight on his foot without agonizing pain, his manager Andrzej Kulikovsky told a reporter for the Adelaide, Australia Advertiser.

In 2000, Bubka was reluctant to participate in the pole-vaulting competition in the Olympics in Sydney, Australia, because of the strong and unpredictable winds. According to a report in the Adelaide, Australia Advertiser, Bubka predicted that the competition would be "a nightmare" and that the winner would be "whoever lives."

Bubka didn't enter the qualifying round until the competition had already been underway for three hours, and he missed all three tries at his opening height of 5.7 meters. He failed to qualify for the Olympic final, and did not compete.