Doha (AFP)

Title holder Sam Kendricks of the United States assumed his status and retained his master pole vault crown after a twisting contest as a symbol of US domination since the start of the World Cup in Doha, Qatar. .

With three pole vaulters over 6m this season, the fight between American Sam Kendricks, Sweden's Armand "Mondo" Duplantis and Poland's Piotr Lisek was also expected to heat up in Qatar. No surprise: it is very hot, and the fight took place.

Very quickly, the three thieves are alone to cross 5.80 m. The podium is known, you need a winner.

A year after the mad competition of the Euro of Berlin, and the victory of Duplantis (6.05 m) against the Russian Timur Morgunov, both more than six meters, Doha has set roller coaster of emotions.

Once the muscular Lisek and his terrifying bronze screech, Kendricks and Duplantis found themselves twice at the foot of the wall, to better jump over. The "teenager" Mondo Duplantis (19 years old), Swedish by his mother but American for everything else (he was born and lives in Louisiana), overturned 5.92m then 5.97m, Kendricks imitating him to 5, 97m after saving his skin at 5.87m.

Both fail at 6.02m but it is Kendricks who pocketed the gold with fewer missed attempts, and becomes the first pole vault to retain his title since the legend Sergey Bubka (six titles between 1983 and 1997).

- Intouchables in sprint -

On the medal board, the United States is flying with 16 podiums including 7 titles, far ahead of China (8 podiums including 2 titles).

The Stars and Stripes athletes are particularly untouchable on the men's sprint: after Coleman on 100 m Saturday (Justin Gatlin in bronze), their last prodigy Noah Lyles dominated as expected the 200 m (in 19 sec 83).

With the relays to come and other cadors in reserve (Dalilah Muhammad on 400 m hurdles, Ryan Crouser by weight ...), their forward march is not ready to stop.

Tuesday, the United States also took advantage of the victory over 800 m of Donavan Brazier - the first American to win on the distance-- in 1 min 42 sec 34, breaking the record of the Championships to become the 9th best performer all time.

This performance was immediately tainted by suspicion: his coach Alberto Salazar was suspended four years Tuesday by the US Anti-Doping Agency (Usada) for several anti-doping law offenses.

No athlete from the Oregon Project, a very high-profile group in the northwestern United States funded by Nike, was not directly blamed by the Usada investigation.

© 2019 AFP