From our special correspondent in Tokyo,

Eyes in the dark, he stayed to see Mondo Duplantis, already assured of the Olympic title, try to erase his world record, in vain. Because the two men “have ties that go beyond sports. If I had been in his place, it would have pissed me off not to share this moment ”. But Renaud Lavillenie is a bit elsewhere. He thinks back to that warm-up jump that got badly pinned, forcing him to land on the track with all his weight on his good foot. “A return to the track like that in the big championship, with a pole with which I had made two jumps which had gone well… I must have made a mistake in my race”.

🏃🇸🇪 Logically, Armand Duplantis, world record holder, wins the gold medal in the pole vault!

It was at 6.02 m that he fetched this title against the American Christopher Nilsen #Olympic Games # Tokyo2020



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- francetvsport (@francetvsport) August 3, 2021

"Considering the warm-up I was doing ..."

The London Olympic champion immediately understands that it is over. The “heel” is too strong and the pain gradually spreads. From a distance, from the press gallery, we see him putting ice on the sore foot, while the left ankle, the one that has required so much care since that damn sprain in Sotteville, seems to hold out. “Frankly, given the warm-up I was doing, and I think I know myself well enough, I don't see how I am not 5m92 [or 2nd place behind Duplantis]”.

But the question that arises, at that time, is rather whether Renaud Lavillenie will jump straight away.

He talks at length with his coach, with the doctor of the France team.

“I'm not the type to give up by snapping my fingers.

With all the hard work done, it was out of the question to cover it up.

I thought of everything, but every time I asked myself the question of jumping, the answer was “I give everything” even if it means that I hurt myself even more ”.

"Inconceivable to end like this"

First a dead end at 5m55, and then an attempt at 5m70.

It goes snatch.

“I have no idea how I'm spending it.

It was the head that made me jump, the body just had to follow.

Being tough and unplugging the brain in certain areas is what allowed me to save the furniture ”.

In the bluff, Lavillenie was patient up to 5m87, then twice at 92. But it was too high for his evening means.

The third Olympic medal will await Paris.

“It's inconceivable to end up like this.

I don't even ask myself the question of where I will be in 2024 ”.

That's good, neither are we.

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