Renaud Lavillenie
Encyclopedia
Renaud Lavillenie (ʁə.no la.vil.ni; born 18 September 1986) is a French
pole vault
er.
He won the gold medal
at the 2009 European Indoor Championships
. He also competed at the 2008 World Indoor Championships
, but without reaching the final. , he holds the French record for the highest pole vault clearance indoors at 6.03 m, which is the third-highest personal best indoor clearance of all time.
Lavillenie achieved a personal best jump of 5.65 metres in June 2008 in Villeneuve-d'Ascq. He vaulted 5.81 metres on the indoor track in December 2008 in Aulnay-sous-Bois
, and repeated the feat twice since.
He improved his outdoor best to 5.80 m in May 2009, beating veteran French pole vaulter Romain Mesnil
in Forbach
. Shortly after he increased his best to 5.96 m at a meet in Aubière
, setting a world-leading mark. He improved the world-leading mark to 6.01 metres in June 2009 in Leiria
, Portugal
.
At the 2009 World Championships in Athletics
he vaulted 5.80 m to win the bronze medal
(his first global medal) behind Steven Hooker
and Mesnil. He also took part in the 2009 IAAF World Athletics Final
but failed to record a mark and finished last. The following season he entered the 2010 IAAF World Indoor Championships
, but he could not achieve the qualifying mark of 5.60 m and did not make it into the final. He had better success at the 2010 IAAF Diamond League
in the outdoor season, scoring a win at the Bislett Games
. At the Adidas Grand Prix in June 2010, he beat Steven Hooker
with a winning vault of 5.85 m. A few weeks later, he captured the European title in Barcelona
.
On 5 March 2011, on the second day of the European Indoor championships in Paris, he vaulted 6.03 m and broke the French indoor vaulting record previously held by Jean Galfione
at 6.00 m; that jump became the third-highest personal best indoor clearance of all time.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
pole vault
Pole vault
Pole vaulting is a track and field event in which a person uses a long, flexible pole as an aid to leap over a bar. Pole jumping competitions were known to the ancient Greeks, as well as the Cretans and Celts...
er.
He won the gold medal
Gold medal
A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture...
at the 2009 European Indoor Championships
2009 European Indoor Championships in Athletics
The 30th European Athletics Indoor Championships was held in Turin, Italy, from Friday, 6 March to Sunday, 8 March 2009. The championships took place at the Oval Lingotto indoor arena which has a seating capacity of 6,600 people....
. He also competed at the 2008 World Indoor Championships
2008 IAAF World Indoor Championships - Men's Pole Vault
-Medalists:-Qualification:Qualification rule: qualification standar 5.70m or at least best 8 qualified-Final:...
, but without reaching the final. , he holds the French record for the highest pole vault clearance indoors at 6.03 m, which is the third-highest personal best indoor clearance of all time.
Lavillenie achieved a personal best jump of 5.65 metres in June 2008 in Villeneuve-d'Ascq. He vaulted 5.81 metres on the indoor track in December 2008 in Aulnay-sous-Bois
Aulnay-sous-Bois
Aulnay-sous-Bois is a commune in the northeastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris.In October and November 2005, it gained national and international attention as one of the focuses of the French suburb riots.-Name:...
, and repeated the feat twice since.
He improved his outdoor best to 5.80 m in May 2009, beating veteran French pole vaulter Romain Mesnil
Romain Mesnil
Romain Mesnil is a French pole vaulter. His personal best is 5.95 metres, achieved in August 2003 in Castres...
in Forbach
Forbach
Forbach is a commune in the Moselle department in Lorraine in north-eastern France.It is located near the German border. Population : 22,784....
. Shortly after he increased his best to 5.96 m at a meet in Aubière
Aubière
Aubière is a commune in the Puy-de-Dôme department in Auvergne in central France.-References:*...
, setting a world-leading mark. He improved the world-leading mark to 6.01 metres in June 2009 in Leiria
Leiria
Leiria is a city in Leiria Municipality in the Centro Region, Portugal. It is the capital of Leiria District. The city proper has 50,200 inhabitants and the entire municipality has nearly 120,000...
, Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
.
At the 2009 World Championships in Athletics
2009 World Championships in Athletics
The 12th IAAF World Championships in Athletics were held in Berlin, Germany from 15–23 August 2009. The majority of events took place in the Olympiastadion, while the marathon and racewalking events started and finished at the Brandenburg Gate....
he vaulted 5.80 m to win the bronze medal
Bronze medal
A bronze medal is a medal awarded to the third place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The practice of awarding bronze third place medals began at the 1904 Olympic Games in St...
(his first global medal) behind Steven Hooker
Steven Hooker
Steven Leslie "Steve" Hooker OAM is an Australian pole vaulter and Olympic gold medalist. His personal best is 6.06 m, making him the second highest pole-vaulter in history behind only Sergey Bubka.-Career:...
and Mesnil. He also took part in the 2009 IAAF World Athletics Final
2009 IAAF World Athletics Final
The 7th IAAF World Athletics Final was held at the Kaftanzoglio Stadium in Thessaloniki, Greece on September 12 and September 13, 2009. The competition represented the culmination of the 2009 IAAF World Athletics Tour, a selection of athletics meetings which began on September 20, 2008 at the...
but failed to record a mark and finished last. The following season he entered the 2010 IAAF World Indoor Championships
2010 IAAF World Indoor Championships
The 2010 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics was held between 12 and 14 March at the ASPIRE Dome in Doha, Qatar. The championships was the first of six IAAF World Athletics Series events to take place in 2010.-Bidding and organisation:...
, but he could not achieve the qualifying mark of 5.60 m and did not make it into the final. He had better success at the 2010 IAAF Diamond League
2010 IAAF Diamond League
The 2010 IAAF Diamond League was the first edition of the Diamond League, an annual series of fourteen one-day track and field meetings. The series began on 14 May in Doha, Qatar and ended on 27 August in Brussels, Belgium....
in the outdoor season, scoring a win at the Bislett Games
Bislett Games
The Bislett Games is an annual track and field event at the Bislett Stadion in Oslo, Norway. Previously one of the IAAF Golden League events, it is now part of the IAAF Diamond League. It is sponsored by ExxonMobil and officially known as the ExxonMobil Bislett Games.-History:The first...
. At the Adidas Grand Prix in June 2010, he beat Steven Hooker
Steven Hooker
Steven Leslie "Steve" Hooker OAM is an Australian pole vaulter and Olympic gold medalist. His personal best is 6.06 m, making him the second highest pole-vaulter in history behind only Sergey Bubka.-Career:...
with a winning vault of 5.85 m. A few weeks later, he captured the European title in Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
.
On 5 March 2011, on the second day of the European Indoor championships in Paris, he vaulted 6.03 m and broke the French indoor vaulting record previously held by Jean Galfione
Jean Galfione
Jean Galfione is a French athlete. In 1995 he won the bronze medal in the pole vault at the IAAF World Championships in Athletics. In 1996 he won the gold medal in the pole vault at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia...
at 6.00 m; that jump became the third-highest personal best indoor clearance of all time.