Mike Bull
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | British (Northern Irish) |
| Born | 11 September 1946 Belfast, Northern Ireland |
| Height | 184 cm (6 ft 0 in) |
| Weight | 80 kg (176 lb) |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Athletics |
| Event | pole vault |
| Club | Albert Foundry AC, Queen's University Belfast AC |
Michael Bull (born 11 September 1946) is a retired male pole vaulter and decathlete from Northern Ireland who competed at two Olympic Games.[1]
Biography
[edit]Bull became the British pole vault champion after winning the British AAA Championships title at the 1966 AAA Championships.[2] Shortly afterwards Bull represented the Northern Irish team at the 1966 British Empire and Commonwealth Games held in Kingston, Jamaica, where he won silver in the men's pole vault.[3]
Bull retained his pole vault title at the 1967 AAA Championships, 1968 AAA Championships and 1969 AAA Championships (although the 1968 success came as the best placed British athlete).[4] He also appeared for Great Britain at his first Olympic Games at the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City.[5]
Bull represented England at the 1970 British Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh, Scotland and won the gold medal.[6]
Bull won two more AAA titles at the 1971 AAA Championships and 1972 AAA Championships before finally losing his crown to Brian Hooper in 1973.[7] At the 1972 Olympics Games in Munich, he represented Great Britain at his second Olympics.[5]
He appeared in 69 internationals for Great Britain and Northern Ireland[citation needed] and captained the team on numerous[quantify] occasions.[citation needed] In 1991, he won the World Masters (over 40) pole vault in Finland. He set his personal best in the pole vault (5.25 metres) on 22 September 1973 at a meet in London.[citation needed]
Upon retirement from professional athletics, Bull lectured on sports studies[citation needed] and provided sports commentary for UTV (Ulster Television).[citation needed] He opened his own gym in Dufferin Avenue, Bangor, County Down (Northern Ireland), Mike Bull's Health Gym[citation needed] (now Paul's Gym), and was a fitness adviser for the Irish Rugby Football Union.[citation needed]
Honours
[edit]In 2012, Dr Mike Bull was awarded the OBE by the Queen for services to sport and charity.[8]
In 2014, Mike Bull was awarded the accolade of "Britain's Greatest Ever Pole-vaulter" in World renowned athletics magazine Athletics Weekly by leading statistician Mel Watman.[citation needed]
Achievements
[edit]| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1966 | British Empire and Commonwealth Games | Kingston, Jamaica | 2nd | Pole vault |
| 1969 | European Championships | Athens, Greece | 7th | Pole vault |
| 1970 | European Indoor Championships | Vienna, Austria | 7th | Pole vault |
| British Commonwealth Games | Edinburgh, Scotland | 1st | Pole vault | |
| 1972 | European Indoor Championships | Grenoble, France | 6th | Pole vault |
| 1974 | British Commonwealth Games | Christchurch, New Zealand | 2nd | Pole vault |
| 1st | Decathlon | |||
| 1978 | Commonwealth Games | Edmonton, Canada | NM | Pole vault |
References
[edit]- ^ "Mike BULL - Decathlon gold, Pole Vault silver at 1974 Commonwealths Games - Great Britain". Sporting Heroes. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
- ^ "Hurdler Dave flies in for Britain". The People. 10 July 1966. Retrieved 9 May 2025 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Fitness guru Bull set for Spain move". BelfastTelegraph.co.uk. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
- ^ "AAA, WAAA and National Championships Medallists". National Union of Track Statisticians. Retrieved 9 May 2025.
- ^ a b "Biographical Information". Olympedia. Retrieved 9 May 2025.
- ^ "Edinburgh 1970 Team". Team England. Retrieved 9 May 2025.
- ^ "AAA Championships (men)". GBR Athletics. Retrieved 9 May 2025.
- ^ Staff, The Guardian (15 June 2012). "Queen's birthday honours list 2012: OBE". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
External links
[edit]- Michael Bull Track & Field statistics
Commonwealth Games champions in men's pole vault | |
|---|---|
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Commonwealth Games champions in men's decathlon | |
|---|---|
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- Athletes from Belfast
- Decathletes from Northern Ireland
- British male decathletes
- Male pole vaulters from Northern Ireland
- Athletes (track and field) at the 1966 British Empire and Commonwealth Games
- Athletes (track and field) at the 1970 British Commonwealth Games
- Athletes (track and field) at the 1974 British Commonwealth Games
- Athletes (track and field) at the 1978 Commonwealth Games
- Commonwealth Games gold medallists for Northern Ireland
- Commonwealth Games silver medallists for Northern Ireland
- Commonwealth Games medallists in athletics
- Athletes (track and field) at the 1968 Summer Olympics
- Athletes (track and field) at the 1972 Summer Olympics
- Olympic athletes for Great Britain
- 1946 births
- Living people
- Medallists at the 1966 British Empire and Commonwealth Games
- Medallists at the 1970 British Commonwealth Games
- Medallists at the 1974 British Commonwealth Games
- British athletics biography stubs
- Irish athletics biography stubs
- Sportspeople from Northern Ireland stubs