Pole vault champion Steve Hooker, and his wife Katya Kostetskaya, welcomed their first child this week, and have named their son Maxim. Maxim is from a Russian form of Maximus.

Steven or “Steve” is the second-highest pole-vaulter in history, and has won gold at the 2008 Olympics and two Commonwealth Games. He comes from an athletic family, because his mother Erica was an Olympian, and a Commonwealth Games medallist in long jump, and his father Bill represented Australia at the 1974 Commonwealth Games in the 800 metres and relay.

Yekaterina or “Katya” is a Russian track athlete who has competed at the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games. Like Steve, she has an athletic mum, because her mother, Olga Dvirna, is a retired middle distance runner. Kayta and Steve met at the Beijing Olympics, and were married in 2012. Early this year, they relocated to Phoenix, Arizona in the United States.

(Photo of Steve and Katya at top; photo of Steve and Maxim at bottom)