Background
He was born in Ancón, Panama Canal Zone.
He was born in Ancón, Panama Canal Zone.
At his last Olympic appearance, Bell finished fourth at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South of Korea.
He held the world pole vaulting record for approximately a month in 1976 and set an American record of 19" 01⁄4" in San Jose, California in 1984. In 2002, Bell was inducted into the USATF National Track and Field Hall of Fame. Bell established Bell Athletics outside of Jonesboro, Arkansas where he has coached Jeff Hartwig, Derek Miles,, Kellie Suttle and Jillian Schwartz, among other top pole vaulters.
Rare among vaulters, Bell managed to stay relatively healthy and productive for a long career, gaining United States rankings among the best for 16 consecutive years in the Track and Field News annual rankings.