Pole Vault Gold

[Lods]

So they basically make them keep jump until they drop dead, that's a rather brutal side to that sport I wasn't aware of! :o

It's usually settled after a couple of heights, but it can drag on.
The thing about individual athletes of most sport is it's just about always two separate competitions

The first is against your opponent (s)
The second is against yourself (and the clock and tape)....you're always looking to beat your personal best time, height or distance.

So if you reach your peak performance on a given day that's as good as it gets for that day.
The last thing you want to do is go back and jump a height you've already jumped.
So the decision to share the Gold is usually a sensible one.

The conditions are-
- a jump off only applies in the case of first place, lower placings are shared....otherwise the bar would be going up and down like a yo-yo.
-both athletes have to agree to the 'share' or keep jumping...if one stops jumping the other is the winner even if they haven't cleared the height.