A Pole Vault competition to welcome Renaud LAVILLENIE to the STADE DE FRANCE – Meeting AREVA

Following the excellent performance by the young French pole vaulter Renaud LAVILLENIE during the World Cup of Athletics (6.01m French record and best world performance of the season) the organisers of the Meeting AREVA couldn’t envisage their line-up without playing host to a men’s pole vault competition and thus do justice to the achievement by the young athlete.

 The reasoning behind this decision was that the organisation of a second competition was raising a few questions; one of which was of a technical nature: is it possible to envisage two pole vault competitions given that we have a 2hr30 programme? The only solution was of course to anticipate the simultaneous scheduling of two competitions, which meant that two jumping areas would need to be available in the stadium enclosure…

Yesterday morning – Laurent BOQUILLET – Director of the Meeting AREVA, received the necessary guarantees to proceed with this organisation.

With the technical problems resolved, it was necessary to check the plans of Renaud LAVILLENIE and the top pole vaulters both in France and internationally – could they fit a competition at the Stade de France on 17th July into their schedule?

Here again the response was an enthusiastic one: “When the organisers asked me if I could participate, I jumped at the chance. It’s not every day that you’re lucky enough to jump in the Stade de France. I had planned to do Reims then Angers in France so this is another great opportunity. Last year I cleared 5.50 m. As people have seen a lot of me in the media over recent days, this may boost the appeal of the discipline…”  Renaud LAVILLENIE said to the AFP today.

The French public are particular connoisseurs of the sport, as they’re highly used to rubbing shoulders with the world’s best in the discipline with a recognised pole vault school – the top students of which include Encausse, Houvion, Vigneron, Quinon, Galfione, Mesnil, who have made a name for themselves at the greatest international competitions. The arrival of Renaud LAVILLENIE at this level is a real thrill for the discipline’s enthusiasts and supporters in general. Above all else it puts a new light on the sport, which certainly wasn’t evident at the start of the season: a young French athlete can go and hunt down a podium place at the next World Championship of Athletics in Berlin! It’s a habit we wouldn’t like to lose* ….

Reaction:
Jean Galfione – in charge of monitoring the Pole Vaulting discipline within the French Athletics Federation:
“It’s excellent news for French pole vaulting! It’s been several months that we’ve been trying to find a way of organising a competition for the Meeting AREVA – the first initiative was attempted on the build-up to the Meeting on a Parisian site – in the end that didn’t come off – so the fact that the competition is now integrated into the Meeting is perfect! In pole vaulting there’s always been the “French touch”… this has to carry on and the arrival of Renaud at this level can only be a positive thing for pole vaulters – men and women – and the French.

It is important we don’t lose this tradition and continue to provide the French public with pole vault competitions of the highest possible level – our public are connoisseurs and have always carried the competition along very well. This will also certainly be an opportunity to rediscover Romain Mesnil and Daniel Dossevi…”

*The sport of pole vaulting is one which has picked up the greatest number of medals for the French Athletics Federation within the scope of international competition outside relay racing.