Rouen (AFP)

The duel at the top of the world pole vault between Armand Duplantis and Renaud Lavillenie turned on Saturday evening in Rouen in favor of the Swedish phenomenon who crossed 6.03 m, best world performance of the year.

Covid requires, no clap clap of the hands of the spectators to accompany the strides of the best worlds in the empty room of the Kindarena, only the encouragement of the staff of the athletes and the organizers.

"I am happy to be at the head" of the world record, rejoiced Duplantis after the competition, even if he failed to beat his world record (6.18 m) established almost a year ago, in stumbling quite clearly three times at 6.19 m.

"You have to be close to perfect to set the world record", he explained to the press at the end of the Rouen stage of the Perche Elite Tour, won with a bar at 6.03 m cleared at his first attempt.

Asked about Lavillenie's return to more than 6 meters the previous weekend in Tourcoing (6.02 m), a first for him since 2016, "Mondo" replied, a few meters from the Frenchman, his idol of youth: " I'm never surprised by Renaud ".

"I can not be disappointed with my jump to 5.93 m", explained the Frenchman for his part, specifying that he "had a little trouble recovering from last weekend": "this week I didn 'was not a ghost, but not far away, ”he explained.

"We are only at the very beginning of February, there is still time to continue to climb," he added.

- MPM for Bradshaw -

The 2012 Olympic champion, world record holder from 2014 to 2020 with 6.16 m, and the gifted started their season strong, competing at a distance on January 31: Duplantis (21) had crossed in Dusseldorf (Germany) 6.01 m and Renaud Lavillenie (34) at Tourcoing 6.02 m on the same day.

Five months before the Tokyo Olympics, the Frenchman began to dream of a fifth indoor title at the European Indoor Championships in Torum (Poland, March 1 to 3) after starting the season with a bang in Bordeaux (5 , 92 m) and Karlsruhe (5.95 m).

In Rouen, the American Sam Kendricks, double world champion in 2017 and 2019, was more laborious and had to settle for 4th place (5.83 m), behind his compatriot Chris Nielsen (5.93 m).

These leaders of the discipline will meet for a new round of their clash at the Liévin meeting (February 9), before the big meeting of the All Star Perche de Clermont-Ferrand (February 27), organized as every year on its land by Lavillenie.

"We were all hungry for 2020. To start the year 2021 like this, with we hope for the Games at the end, it's something that is fabulous," commented the French.

In the ladies' event, the Briton Holly Bradshaw left her competitors far behind, taking the lead in the world record, with a bar at 4.85 m, dethroning the American Sandi Morris (4.81 m on January 31 at Fayetteville in the United States) which ultimately did not come to the Rouen meeting.

Belarusian Iryna Zhuk placed 2nd at 4.62m, while 2016 Olympic and 2017 World Champion Ekaterini Stefanidi cut her contest on the way.

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