Aleksandr Averbukh

Aleksandr "Alex" Valeryevich Averbukh (, ; born October 1, 1974) is a Russian retired decathlete and Israeli Olympic athlete, who competed in the pole vault.

He won silver and bronze medals at the World Championships, won a gold medal as the European champion in both 2002 and 2006, and won a gold medal at the 2013 Maccabiah Games. His personal best is 5.93 metres.

Biography He was born in the Russian SSR, Soviet Union, and is Jewish. He was formerly a decathlete competing for Russia, but he later became an Israeli citizen and rose to top level in pole vault. He competed in the 2001 Maccabiah Games, winning a gold medal.

He won silver and bronze medals at the World Championships and won a gold medal twice as the European champion in 2002 and 2006. His personal best is 5.93 metres, achieved in 2003 in Madrid. He retired from competition in 2009.

He competed on behalf of Israel at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China.

He competed in the pole vault at the 2009 Maccabiah Games.

In 2013 he briefly returned from retirement to compete in the 2013 Maccabiah Games, where he won a gold medal for first place.

One of his daughters is the model Anastasya Averbukh.

Achievements Representing 1993 European Junior Championships San Sebastián, Spain 13th (q) Pole vault 4.90 m 1998 European Indoor Championships Valencia, Spain 6th Heptathlon 6144 pts Hypo-Meeting Götzis, Austria 16th Decathlon 7658 pts Representing 1999 World Championships Seville, Spain 3rd Pole vault 5.80 m 2000 European Indoor Championships Ghent, Belgium 1st 5.75 m Olympic Games Sydney, Australia 10th 5.50 m 2001 World Indoor Championships Lisbon, Portugal 4th 5.70 m World Championships Edmonton, Canada 2nd 5.85 m Universiade Beijing, China 1st 5.80 m Goodwill Games Brisbane, Australia 2nd 5.80 m Maccabiah Games 1st 2002 European Championships Munich, Germany 1st 5.85 m IAAF Grand Prix Final Paris, France 2nd 5.75 m 2003 World Indoor Championships Birmingham, United Kingdom 14th (q) 5.40 m World Championships Paris, France – NM 2004 World Indoor Championships Budapest, Hungary 14th (q) 5.55 m Olympic Games Athens, Greece 8th 5.65 m World Athletics Final Monte Carlo, Monaco 4th 5.60 m 2006 World Indoor Championships Moscow, Russia 4th 5.50 m European Championships Gothenburg, Sweden 1st 5.70 m 2007 World Championships Osaka, Japan 7th 5.81 m 2008 Olympic Games Beijing, China 28th (q) 5.45 m 2009 Maccabiah Games Tel Aviv, Israel 2nd 4.95 m 2013 Maccabiah Games Jerusalem, Israel 1st 5.15 m