Athletics moved away from its usual setting on Saturday 28 June to go out and meet the general public. It left the formal decor of the stadium behind and invited itself to the centre of the city. Indeed, on the initiative of the French Athletics Federation (FFA), the organiser of the MEETING AREVA, a pole vault exhibition was proposed in the very heart of Paris, just a stone’s throw from the Eiffel Tower, in the gardens of Le Trocadéro. The result was a kind of foretaste of the MEETING AREVA 2014, the French stage of the IAAF Diamond League, which is due to take place on Saturday 5 July in the Stade de France. Gracing the event was an exceptional athlete, Renaud Lavillenie, Olympic champion and world record holder in the speciality with a jump of 6.16m.
The French pole-vaulter had never before had the opportunity to perform in such a context. A free exhibition open to all, this was the high point of a day dedicated to the discovery and promotion of pole vaulting. “We got everything we were expecting from this day, except the weather. The public were out in force and everyone really enjoyed it,” Renaud Lavilennie confirmed at the end of the exhibition. Somewhat complicated by the rather unfavorable conditions, the competition didn’t disappoint. True to form, the best pole-vaulter on the planet, Renaud Lavillenie, imposed with skill and authority, even treating the public to a jump of 5.30 meters on his first jump. He continued in this vein, clearing the jumps with ease as far as 5.70m, which he made on his first attempt. After two failures at 5.80m, the French champion opted to call it a day so as not to take any risks in the driving rain.“I had an absolute ball. For a Frenchman, jumping with the Eiffel Tower in your line of sight is a unique experience. It’s the most beautiful venue that I’ve jumped at in my entire career. The conditions were very difficult, but we all did our best to forget the rain. In fact, I’m obliged to come back and do the same again next year, but in the sunshine!” more
