Timothy William Bright (born July 28, 1960) is an American retired athlete in the pole vault and the decathlon.

Collegiate career

Bright participated in track & field at Linn-Benton Community College from 1978-80, earning NJCAA all-America honors his sophomore year, and then transferred to Abilene Christian University. In 1991, he was elected to the NWAC Hall of Fame.

International career

Bright represented the United States in the decathlon at the 1984 Olympics, the 1988 Olympics, and the 1987 World Championships, and in the pole vault at the 1985 World University Games, the 1985 World Cup, the 1991 World Championships, and the 1992 Olympics.

In 1987, he scored a personal best of 8,340 points in the decathlon at the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in San Jose. At one point, he held the decathlon world record for the pole vault at 5.70 m, set during the 1988 Olympics.

In 1991 and 1992, Bright became an American champion the in pole vault. At the British AAA Championships he won the title in 1991 and finished runner-up in 1985 behind Kory Tarpenning and in 1993 behind Australian Simon Arkell.

Post-career

In 2010, Bright took up a coaching career in men's pole vault at Concordia University (Oregon) and Lewis & Clark College. In 2019, he became a volunteer assistant coach for women's track and field at Oregon State University.

Achievements

YearTournamentVenueResultEvent
1984Summer OlympicsLos Angeles12thDecathlon
1985World CupCanberra3rdPole vault
1987World ChampionshipsRomeDNFDecathlon
1988Summer OlympicsSeoul7thDecathlon
1989World CupBarcelona2ndPole vault
1990Goodwill GamesSeattle3rdPole vault
1991World ChampionshipsTokyo6thPole vault
1992Olympic GamesBarcelona12thPole vault

Personal bests

Information from World Athletics profile unless otherwise noted.

Outdoor

As of June 20, 2025

EventPerformanceLocationDatePoints
Decathlon—N/aSan JoseJune 23–24, 19878,340 points
100 meters10.90San JoseJune 23, 1987883 points
Long jump7.31 m (23 ft 11+3⁄4 in)San JoseJune 23, 1987888 points
Shot put14.35 m (47 ft 3⁄4 in)San JoseJune 23, 1987750 points
High jump2.11 m (6 ft 11 in)San JoseJune 23, 1987906 points
400 meters48.87Los AngelesAugust 8, 1984867 points
110 meters hurdles14.16San JoseJune 24, 1987954 points
Discus throw41.74 m (136 ft 11+1⁄4 in)Los AngelesAugust 9, 1984700 points
Pole vault5.70 m (18 ft 8+1⁄4 in)SeoulSeptember 29, 19881,132 points
Javelin throw61.60 m (202 ft 1 in)SeoulSeptember 29, 1988762 points
1500 meters4:42.34IndianapolisJune 18, 1985666 points
Virtual Best Performance8,508 points
EventPerformanceLocationDate
Pole vault5.85 m (19 ft 2+1⁄4 in)MonmouthJune 8, 1996

Indoor

As of June 20, 2025

EventPerformanceLocationDate
Pole vault5.80 m (19 ft 1⁄4 in)AtlantaMarch 4, 1995

External links