Reno, Nevada, USA – Derek Miles is almost good as new.

Miles, who was sidelined for nearly a year from complications from a stress fracture in his tibia, scaled 5.80m to win the elite men’s competition in the National Pole Vault Summit at the Reno Livestock Events Center on Friday (4 Jan).

Jillian Schwartz won the women’s competition at 4.30m in the 18th annual meeting that features more than 1,300 athletes in 72 pole vault competitions contested simultaneously in 12 pits over two days.

Miles Outduels Stevenson to collect fourth Reno victory

Miles won the competition with a third-attempt clearance at 5.80m to defeat Toby Stevenson, who finished second 5.70m after a near miss on his first of three attempts at 5.80m. Jeff Ryan was third at 5.50m and Jeff Hartwig, who turned 40 last September, was fourth in an age 40 world best of 5.50m.

Miles’ triumph marked the fourth Summit win for the seventh-place finisher in the 2004 Olympic Games. Miles, 35, won three consecutive titles from 2002-04 but his win on Friday was particularly gratifying after missing the 2006 season and much of the 2007 campaign because of a stress fracture in his middle right tibia in his non takeoff leg.

Miles had surgery to place a titanium intramedullary rod in December 2006 but was sidelined for almost a year because of the injury. He waited for half a year hoping for the injury to heal before the surgery and needed six months of rehab after the surgery. Miles still isn’t able to do plyometrics or hard running because of the condition.