Brandon Richards (born February 6, 1967) is an American track and field athlete. He was the national high school record holder in the pole vault and a son of double Olympic Gold Medalist in the pole vault, Bob Richards. He is the third of four of Richards' sons who all excelled at the pole vault—Bob Jr. finished second in 1968 and Tom won the CIF California State Meet in the pole vault.
Richards began vaulting at age five Chicago Tribune June 17, 1985 and by age 18, he vaulted , which stood as the highest pole vault for a high schooler for 14 years. The record still stood in 2005 as third-best jump for a high schooler Track and Field News and the best ever by a Californian as of 2012. Richards also set the Indoor record in the pole vault at , which only lasted a year before Pat Manson marginally improved upon it, but it still ranked as the third-best ever in 2007.
Richards' high school record jump was set at an All-comers track meet in Eugene, Oregon, not in high school competition.Los Angeles Times LA Times July 12, 1985 He chose not to compete for his San Marcos High School team during his senior year. As a junior, Richards was the Texas state champion at Midway High School.Los Angeles Times LA Times May 17, 1985
Richards' set his personal record five years later at . That mark is the Richards family record, but not in contention with the 19-foot vaulters in the Olympics. He ranked number 260 on the all-time list in 2001. Richards attended the University of California, Los Angeles, where he is ranked as the #10 vaulter in school history.
References
External links California State Records before 2000