Lavillenie 6.01m, world-leads for Gomis and Maslak on second day of national indoor champs
Many IAAF Member Federations in Europe staged their national indoor championships this weekend and the highlights on Sunday (22) included Renaud Lavillenie going over 6.01m and world-leading marks for long jumper French Kafetien Gomis and Czech sprinter Pawel Maslak.
Competing at the French indoor championships in Aubiere, a suburb of his home town of Clermont-Ferrand, Lavillenie cleared 6.01m on his second attempt before keeping the crowd enthralled during three unsuccessful ties at a world record height of 6.18m.
It was the 11th meeting in his career at which Lavillenie has cleared 6.00m or higher, a tally only bettered by Sergey Bubka who cleared that elusive barrier in no less than 44 contests.
"Sergey Bubka had cleared 6.00m here back in 1994 so I thought it was about time I got the venue record back for the city," joked Lavillenie after his latest outstanding performance.
"That 6.01 vault was probably one of the best vaults of my career, I would have cleared 6.10, maybe even 6.15 with it. Nowadays, when I try the world record, it's not purely for show. Tonight, I used the stiffest pole I have ever used and when I master it, I can go very high. However, my legs just felt a little tired at the end of the competition," he added.
With his national title assured thanks to an earlier effort of 7.91m, 2014 European Championships bronze medallist Gomis then put everything together to reach 8.18m for his sixth national title.
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