The former pole vault world record holder will play his third Olympic final on Tuesday at the Tokyo Olympics (12:20 p.m. French time).

After months of doubt, Renaud Lavillenie hopes to get on the podium and take his revenge on the Swede Armand Duplantis, the new face of the discipline.

The time when Renaud Lavillenie held the pole vault world record already seems a long way off.

His 6.16 meters cleared in February 2014 were swept twice by the young Swedish talent Armand Duplantis, who jumped to 6.17 meters then 6.18 meters in 2020. The final of the competition of the Tokyo Olympics, Tuesday From 12:20 pm French time, is the opportunity for Renaud Lavillenie to regain control of the world pole, nine years after his Olympic title in London and his silver medal in Rio.

But the 34-year-old Clermontois is no longer as dashing as in the past, and a recent injury in early July marred his preparation.

A drop in performance since the Rio 2016 Games

Since his second place in Rio, Renaud Lavillenie has not managed to climb so high on an international outdoor podium. Bronze medalist at the 2017 Worlds and at the European Championship in 2018, the French had failed to pass the qualifying mark for the world competition in Doha, at the end of 2019. A drop in performance that plunged the Clermontois into doubt.

After the postponement of the competitions due to the Covid pandemic, Renaud Lavillenie recovered his health at home, during a meeting in Clermont-Ferrand in early 2021, crossing a bar at 6.06 meters indoors, the highest since his world record in 2014. Something to restore his confidence a few months before the Games. However, the pole vaulter injured his left thigh before competing in France in early July, two weeks before the Tokyo Olympics. An injury that happens at least sometimes, while its main opponents will be in the game in Japan.

Only a few hours left ⏰


Qualification tomorrow morning here in Tokyo, 9.40am (2.40am in France)


A lot of work has been done on my ankle in recent days to allow me to believe in it until the end.


Objective to be in the top 12 to go to the final. That's just pic.twitter.com/KyOwan554L

- Renaud LAVILLENIE (@airlavillenie) July 30, 2021

Top opponents

As the Frenchman lost his luster, Swedish nugget Armand Duplantis was making a name for himself all over the world. At 18, "Mondo" won the European Championship final in Berlin in 2018 with a jump to 6.05 meters. The first major title for the Swede before taking the silver the following year, at the Doha Worlds. His thunderous start to his career took a new turn in 2020, with the two world records he successively knocked down.

At 21, Duplantis will start as a favorite in his first Olympic final on Tuesday, but Renaud Lavillenie has not said his last word.

The tricolor pole vaulter will also have to be wary of the Polish Piotr Lisek, bronze medalist in 2017, of the American KC Lighfoot, height of a performance at 6 meters this season, or of the Brazilian Thiagio Braz da Silva who had played a good to him. bad turn in Rio in 2016. On the other hand, the American Sam Kendricks, double reigning world champion, withdrew because of a positive test for Covid-19.

An opportunity for the French to seize.

A mastered qualification for the Tokyo Olympics final

In Tokyo, Renaud Lavillenie still takes on the costume of outsider for the first time at the Olympics.

And this was confirmed as soon as he entered the running on Saturday in qualifying for the final pole vault competition.

The Clermontois suffered two failures before crossing the 5.50 meter mark.

Despite everything, the tricolor pole vaulter reassured his fans thanks to a height of 5.75 meters exceeded from the first try which allowed him to validate his place in the final.

Renaud Lavillenie passes 5.75 m on his first try!

An erased bar which places him in a good position for a qualification for the final # Tokyo2020 # Olympic



Games Follow the Olympics live ▶ https://t.co/Tki3Gsq4BIpic.twitter.com/t1CtTV7VMG

- France tv sport (@francetvsport) July 31, 2021

The 34-year-old Frenchman shows that he still has the mind to once again play the leading roles in the Olympic competition on Tuesday. He will have to overcome his ankle pain and the talent of his opponents to regain his place among the greatest. And there is no doubt that the Clermontois is capable of it.