The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) rating was determined based on Averbukh's vaulting results of the past two years. With 1,333 points, he is only 10 shy of the world champion pole vaulter, Tim Lobinger of Germany.



Averbukh, holder of Israel's record for pole vaulting, immigrated to Israel from Siberia in 1999. Within two months of his arrival, the oleh chadash became the first-ever Israeli to win a medal in the World Athletics Championships in Spain. Then, in August 2002, he brought Israel its first-ever gold medal in a major athletics tournament with a first-place finish in the pole vault in the European Athletics Championships, held in Munich, Germany.