Radio New Zealand - Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa

Coe and Bubka into Hall of Fame

Updated at 2:39 pm on 26 June 2012

London 2012 chairman Sebastian Coe and Soviet-Ukrainian pole vaulter Sergei Bubka are the latest athletic greats to join the IAAF's inaugural Hall of Fame.

Coe, the two-time Olympic 1500 metres champion, and Bubka are the latest names on the 24-strong inaugural list, with another five athletes to make up the inaugural class to 24.

The official induction ceremony will take place at the IAAF Centenary Gala on November 24th in Barcelona.

Those already named as members to mark the centenary year of athletics' governing body include Jesse Owens, Carl Lewis, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Abebe Bikila, Paavo Nurmi, Emil Zatopek, Al Oerter, Adhemar da Silva, Ed Moses, Fanny Blankers-Koen, Betty Cuthbert, Wang Junxia, Irena Szewinska, Mildred Didriksen, Michael Johnson, Dan O'Brien and Alberto Juantorena.

Pole vaulter Bubka is the only athlete to have won six world championships in the same individual discipline, from 1983 to 1999. The 48-year-old Soviet-Ukrainian also took gold at the 1988 Seoul Olympics.

Bubka's indoor and outdoor world records still stand. He vaulted 6.14 metres outside in July 1994, while he cleared 6.15 metres inside in February 1993.

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