Scott Huffman (born November 30, 1964 in Quinter, Kansas) is a retired American pole vaulter. He competed in the 1988, 1992, and 1996 Olympic Trials, earning a spot as an Olympian on the 1996 Atlanta team. He had a very successful NCAA record at the University of Kansas. He won the American national championships in 1993, 1994 and 1995. At the 1994 US Championships in Knoxville, TN, Huffman set a new American Record of 5.97 meters (19 feet 7 inches), his personal best. The result placed him third in the world on the top performers list that season. Despite his small stature (1.74 m; 5 ft 9 in), Huffman was one of the fastest vaulters in history, having been clocked at 10.0m/second on the runway, a time equalled by former World Record holder Sergei Bubka and a small handful of others. Huffman's time in the 40 yard dash was 4.36 seconds (Fully Automatic Timing).
Huffman is notable for his occasional and unpredictable use of a one-legged straddle (similar to a high jumper) method to clear the bar. This technique is commonly called "The Huffman Roll".
Achievements
Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Notes |
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1991 | World Indoor Championships | Seville, Spain | 9th | |
1993 | World Championships | Stuttgart, Germany | 5th | |
1995 | World Championships | Gothenburg, Sweden | 6th | |
1996 | Olympic Games | Atlanta, United States | 13th | |