A decade prior, in the thunderous atmosphere of the Druzhba Arena, Renaud Lavillenie stood on the brink of pole vault history, glaring at the intimidating 6.16 meters at the Pole Vault Stars competition in Donetsk. His eyes unintentionally flickered to the enormous screen as he readied himself for his historic endeavor, whereupon he saw the beaming image of a man he knew well: Sergey Bubka.
Within eight days of becoming 19 years old on February 21, 1993, Bubka set an indoor world record of 6.15 meters in the same arena, an unprecedented performance. Lavillenie was unable to break free from the legacy of Bubka’s remarkable accomplishment. Both the spectators and the competitors were in awe of the historical significance, saying that no vaulter had ever come close to matching Bubka’s enormous mark.
Despite Sergey Bubka’s long-standing dominance, 27-year-old Renaud Lavillenie has become a rising star in the pole vaulting world. After winning gold at the London 2012 Olympics and silver in Moscow 2013, Lavillenie set a new personal best of 6.03 meters at the start of the 2014 indoor season.
Lavillenie: Breakthrough
Within days of trying to break the world record, he made an incredible breakthrough in Bydgoszcz, Poland, clearing 6.08 meters. On February 15, 2014, Lavillenie faced a difficult 6.01-meter bar in Bubka’s backyard. He not only overcame it but also reached a record-breaking 6.16m, cementing his place in pole vaulting history beside the amazing Bubka.
Lavillenie locked onto the tough bar, nodding confidently that he could now accomplish the seemingly impossible, with Bubka’s vigilant eyes serving as his witness. His landing was perfect, his climb was arrow-straight, and every action was methodical. He burst in triumph, hands gripped to his head in shock, hanging in midair—a moment when the unusual became real.
Bubka congratulate him; “It’s completely unbelievable,” Lavillenie said “I did not now what was happening to me out there. The sound was crazy. These are huge emotions. I am in a new dimension.” an article from worldathletics.com mentioned.
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