The 38-year-old American won gold at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, the first games in which women competed in the pole vault, and is a two-time world champion.

"It was great to be a pioneer in this sport," Dragila told the Associated Press.

She cleared 4.45 meters but missed three attempts at 4.55 to finish behind Russian Tatiana Polnova, who cleared 4.55.

"I was able to win a gold medal in Sydney when I never thought it would be possible for a woman to win an Olympic gold medal in the women's pole vault," Dragila said. "To be the first one to win the gold medal is something very special, and something that will ever be in the records book."

After two seasons plagued by injury, Dragila — whose personal best is 4.83 meters — returned to the international athletics in 2008 but failed to make the American Olympic team for the Beijing Games. At last month's world championships in Berlin, she didn't qualify for the pole vault final.