By any measure, Renaud Lavillenie has had an incredible season, losing just once in 23 contests, completing a hat-trick of European Championship golds, and adding a fifth consecutive Diamond Race victory to the iconic pole vault world record he broke during the indoor season, way back in February.
But there is one last achievement he wants to add to his 2014 portfolio of honours – victory at the IAAF Continental Cup in Marrakech on Sunday when he will end his outdoor campaign with one last tilt at the six-metre barrier.
Aside from the elusive World Championships gold (he’s won a silver and two bronze medals at that event), a Continental Cup victory is the one major gap in Lavillenie’s ever-expanding CV.
Four years ago in Split, he leapt 5.90m but had to settle for second place when Australia’s Steve Hooker went five centimetres higher to claim a cup record. This time, as captain of the European team, the 27-year-old is expected to earn maximum points for his side as they attempt to wrest the title from the grip of the Americas and so add his name to a list of pole vault winners that includes such greats as Mike Tully, Sergey Bubka and Maksim Tarasov.
“The Continental Cup and the World Championships are the two big competitions I haven’t won yet,” he said today when asked to reflect on what he still aims to achieve this year.
“I tried this event only once, in 2010, and had a good fight with Steve Hooker. I jumped 5.90m but he made 5.95m, so I really hope to win this time. more
