Saudi’s rising pole vault star Hussain Al-Hizam seeks a medal at 2024 Olympics

From breaking world records at the age of 13 to severe back injuries at 15, Saudi pole vaulter Hussain Al-Hizam has sacrificed most of his childhood to win medals for his country.

Through every setback, Al-Hizam, 25, has grown more committed to pole vaulting and is determined to make up for lost time after two career-threatening injuries and missing out on Tokyo 2020.

Born and raised in the Kingdom, the Jubail local started in the event when he was just 8 years old. He was encouraged by his father — former decathlete and current decathlon coach Asim Al-Hizam — to pursue a path in track and field.

He tried his hand at many sports from a young age, but pole vaulting was where he excelled. Al-Hizam left home when he was just 11 to train and compete around the world, breaking numerous world records from the age of 13.

Things would go wrong for him at 15 when he was struck down by a back injury while competing in Germany. Al-Hizam missed the pit and fell from a height of 5 meters onto the concrete surface.

Prince Nawaf Al-Saud, then-president of the Saudi Arabia Track and Field Federation, had the 15-year-old sent to Los Angeles for treatment.

“I am super fortunate to have the support system that I have, my dad has played a huge role in my career, and he has made everything happen for me,” Al-Hizam said. “The Saudi Track and Field Federation with the help of Prince Nawaf has fully supported me all these years and as a student I was also privileged to receive full scholarship support from my government for university.”

Al-Hizam went on to train for the next 18 months at the University of California, Los Angeles. He then enrolled at the University of Kansas where he achieved the highest level of success in college