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AC DEP: THE IMMORTAL LEGEND OF POLE VAULTING – By NEIL WIJERATNE AC Dep was the first Ceylonese athlete to go over an 11-foot bar in Pole Vaulting. Until then the All Ceylon record stood at 10ft.10 in. And almost one year later, he improved his record by becoming the first Ceylonese to go over the 12-foot barrier. Subsequently, he raised the national pole vault record to 12ft. 7½in, thus becoming a legend as a pole vaulter. He performed those three record-breaking efforts while being an undergrad in the University College. Amazingly, his involvement with the pole vault event continued for almost two decades. Wewage Arthur Cletus Dep is one of the most distinguished athletes in the island’s athletics history. Just like the dual meets in schools’ athletics during the 1950s and 60s, there were inter-club athletic competitions in Colombo suburbs in the late 1920s and early 1930s. It was ...