Brian Sternberg was a world record holder in the men's pole vault who was paralyzed from the neck down after a trampoline accident in 1963. Brian Sternberg (United States) set the men's pole vault world record of 5.08 m in Compton, U.S. on June 7, 1963. It stood 59 days, until John Pennel's 5.13 m on August 5, 1963. Wiki link