Fabiana Murer

Murer's career is a lesson in how much a vaulter depends on equipment. In the Beijing 2008 Olympic final one of her poles went missing mid-competition and she finished well down the field. She recovered to become Brazil's first world champion in the event in Daegu in 2011, then won silver in 2015. Coached throughout by her husband Elson Miranda, she built a smooth, gymnastic technique that took South American women's vaulting onto the global stage.