The Paris 2024 Olympic Games are still far away for Renaud Lavillenie. The French pole vaulter, former world record holder (6.16 m in 2014), made his comeback this Wednesday at the Clermont-Ferrand meeting. And he is far from having shone.
The pole vault gold medalist at the 2012 London Olympics attempted three times to clear 5.35m, his first bar. He failed every time. On his first two attempts, he fell back on the bar, and did not fully engage his jump on the third.
The Olympic minimums seem far away
The 37-year-old Frenchman is still in search of the Olympic minimums, having jumped for the first time in ten months. He had hamstring surgery last December. To qualify for the Paris Olympics, he must cross the 5.82m mark by June 30. A performance that he has not achieved since July 2022.
In April, however, he told AFP that he felt “in great shape”. He also detailed his journey since his hamstring operation: “I was able to resume running since Christmas after three long months without being able to do many things. » He now has just over a month left to qualify for the Paris Games.
