(BEIJING, August 22) -- Steve Hooker won Australia's first gold medal of the Athletics program in the Men's Pole Vault final at the National Stadium on Friday night, with an Olympic record clearance of 5.96m. It was Australia's first Athletics Olympic gold medal since Cathy Freeman won gold in the Women's 400m at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games and Australia's first ever in the Pole Vault. Russian Evgeny Lukyanenko collected silver with 5.85m and an injured Denys Yurchenko of Ukraine won the bronze with 5.70m. Only three men remained in the competition when the bar was raised to 5.80m. Lukyanenko was in the early lead having cleared the height with his first attempt before Hooker cleared it with his third. Battling a hamstring injury meanwhile, Yurchenko decided to pass from 5.70m and wait to see how the competition unfolded. Lukyanenko and Hooker both cleared 5.85m, the Russian vaulting the mark with his third attempt and putting the pressure back on to the Australian, who cleared it. The bar was raised to 5.90m and Lukyanenko failed all three attempts, but Hooker was able to make the height and win his first major title. The 26-year-old Australian then required all three attempts to break Tim Mack's (USA) Olympic record of 5.95m from Athens 2004.