Gataullin Vaults Indoor-Record 19-9

Radion Gataullin broke his world indoor pole-vault record Saturday, clearing 19 feet 9 inches at the Soviet Union’s Winter Championships at Gomel, the news agency Tass reported.

Gataullin, a silver medalist in the 1988 Olympics, broke the record of 19-8 1/4 he set Jan. 22 at Leningrad.

Gataullin, a student from Tashkent in Uzbekistan who will compete in the Times/Eagle Indoor Games Feb. 17 at the Forum, is threatening countryman Sergei Bubka’s reign as the world’s No. 1 vaulter.

Bubka, the 1988 Olympic champion and a two-time world champion, held the world indoor record of 19-7 before this season. He holds the outdoor record at 19-10 1/2.