People

By Spencer Davidson

Following Reagan-Gorbachev at Geneva comes another U.S.-Soviet confrontation at the summit. This time, though, the summit sits at somewhere under 20 feet and the summiteers are the world's three best pole vaulters, Billy Olson, 27, and Joe Dial, 23, of the U.S., and the U.S.S.R.'s overarching Sergei Bubka, 22. Since the start of the year, the three have bettered one another's indoor records six times, and during the past fortnight they have gone height to height in U.S. indoor track-and-field meets from New York to California and back again. The visiting Bubka emerged on top, winning three of the five meets and twice setting new records, the last at 19 ft. 6 1/4 in. Despite earlier cross-country tensions among the three, Bubka observed diplomatically at the finale, "Our competition is friendly competition. They will make further success."