Profiles: Pals take dream to new heights

By SUZANNE McFADDEN

Once upon a time, two little girls dreamed of winning gold - one in the goat rope'n tie, the other in the flying trapeze triple somersault.

Of course neither of these is an Olympic sport (yet).

So Stacey Dragila and Emma George had to find another death-defying event to live out their medal dreams - and they discovered the pole vault.

The Australian circus performer and the American rodeo rider will go head-to-head in perhaps the greatest clash in Olympic track and field, now that Marie-Jose Perec has fled.

They are certain to be the high-flying stars in the debut Olympic women's pole vault.

George, the effervescent Australian red-head, and her off-field buddy Dragila have been pushing each other to new heights over the past three years.

Dragila holds the world record at a breathtaking 4.63m.

But George has held 16 world records, indoors and out, since she started vaulting six years ago.

The fact that she has been throwing herself through the air since she was a tiny tot has been a big help.

She was an acrobat in the Australian Flying Fruit Fly Circus - doing such things as swinging on the trapeze and doing handstands on chairs piled seven metres high.

"Performing in the circus has helped me compete in front of people. I really enjoy a big crowd."

But last year she proved that she doesn't always fly. She suffered an uncharacteristic fall while training for the world championships, misjudging a jump and plummeting four metres to the ground.

She injured her spine and head, but was able to return to competition.

Her form and her confidence suffered worst and it has taken her until now to get back on track.

Dragila, who grew up on a Californian ranch, roping goats and riding fast horses was not too sure about the pole vault idea when her college athletics coach suggested it.

That was until he told her that landing upside down was as easy as falling off a horse.

And she has never looked down - setting the new world mark at the US Olympic trials in May.

The athletes, both university students, realise how lucky they are to be in Sydney, after a struggle to get their event into the Olympics.

"People said the women's pole vault was a soft event - that it didn't deserve to be here," George said. "But Stacey and I have pushed the records up and up - and the girls' vault is often more interesting than the guys'."

Dragila reckons the next magical mark - 16ft (or 4.88m) - is just around the corner.

Qualifying rounds of women's pole vaulting begin on Saturday.