Pat Manson

Pat Manson is an American retired pole vaulter born on November 29, 1967, in West Point. Standing 178 cm, he grew up in Aurora, Colorado and attended Aurora Central High School before becoming an All-American vaulter for the Kansas Jayhawks, earning four runner-up finishes at NCAA Championships between 1989 and 1990.

Manson achieved international success by winning three gold medals at the Pan American Games in 1991, 1995, and 1999, demonstrating remarkable consistency at the continental level over nearly a decade. He also finished sixth at the 1997 World Championships in Athletics in Athens. His personal best of 5.85 metres was set in September 1994 in Tokyo.

His athletic legacy has continued through his children, with both his son and daughter surpassing his freshman best mark while vaulting for Monarch High School in 2017. Manson's three Pan American Games titles make him one of the most decorated American pole vaulters in the competition's history.