Renaud Lavillenie facts for kids
Lavillenie in 2014
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| Nationality | French | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 18 September 1986 Barbezieux-Saint-Hilaire, France |
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| Height | 1.77 m (5 ft 9+1⁄2 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 69 kg | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Country | France | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Athletics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Event(s) | Pole vault | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Renaud Lavillenie (born September 18, 1986) is a famous French pole vaulter. A pole vaulter is an athlete who uses a long, flexible pole to jump over a high bar.
Renaud won the gold medal at the 2012 Olympics in London. He also earned a silver medal at the 2016 Olympics in Rio. He has won many other important competitions. These include three World Indoor Championships gold medals. He also has three European Championships gold medals. Plus, he won four European Indoor Championships gold medals.
Renaud has also won one silver medal and four bronze medals at the World Championships. He holds the French national records for the highest pole vault. His outdoor record is 6.05 meters, and his indoor record is 6.16 meters. His 6.16-meter jump was the world record for over six years, from 2014 to 2020. He was the top pole vaulter in the IAAF Diamond League for seven years in a row, from 2010 to 2016.
Outside of pole vaulting, Renaud enjoys motorcycling. He even raced in the 2013 Le Mans 24 Hours for motorcycles. His younger brother, Valentin Lavillenie, is also a pole vaulter.
Contents
Early Life and Start in Pole Vault
Renaud Lavillenie was born in Barbezieux-Saint-Hilaire, France. His father was also a pole vaulter. Renaud started competing in pole vaulting in 2003 when he was 17 years old.
Renaud's Pole Vaulting Journey
2009: Breaking a French Record
In 2009, Renaud won the European Indoor Championships in Turin. He jumped 5.81 meters indoors. Later that year, he jumped 6.01 meters outdoors in Portugal. This jump broke the French national outdoor record of 5.98 meters. That record had stood for ten years! At the 2009 World Championships, he won his first major medal, a bronze.
2010: First European Gold
In 2010, Renaud won his first European Championships gold medal in Barcelona. He jumped 5.85 meters. He also became the overall winner of the 2010 IAAF Diamond League for pole vault. He won four of the seven events that year.
2011: Another French Record Broken
On March 5, 2011, Renaud won his second European Indoor Championships gold medal in Paris. He jumped 6.03 meters. This jump broke the French national indoor pole vault record. Only two other athletes had ever jumped higher indoors. Renaud won the 2011 IAAF Diamond League pole vault title again. He also won a bronze medal at the 2011 World Championships.
In December 2011, Renaud broke his left hand in a pole vaulting accident. He had to have surgery.
2012: Olympic and World Indoor Gold
Renaud came back strong in 2012. He won his first World Indoor Championships gold medal. He jumped 5.95 meters in the final. He then won his second European Championships gold medal. He cleared 5.97 meters in the final.
The biggest win of 2012 was at the 2012 Olympic Games in London. Renaud won the gold medal by jumping 5.97 meters. This was a new Olympic record! He was in third place before his final jump. He cleared 5.97 meters on his last try to win. This made him the first French track and field Olympic champion since 1996. He also won the 2012 IAAF Diamond League pole vault title for the third year in a row.
2013: Third European Indoor Gold
At the 2013 European Indoor Championships, Renaud won his third straight pole vault title. He jumped 6.01 meters. He cleared every height on his first try up to 6.01 meters.
In July 2013, Renaud jumped 6.02 meters at a competition in London. This broke his own French national outdoor record. He tried to break the world outdoor record of 6.14 meters, but he did not succeed. He won the 2013 IAAF Diamond League pole vault title for the fourth year.
At the 2013 World Championships, Renaud was expected to win. He had been the best pole vaulter all year. However, he won the silver medal with a jump of 5.89 meters. He lost to Raphael Holzdeppe because Holzdeppe cleared the height on his first try.
2014: Breaking the World Record
Renaud had an amazing indoor season in 2014. He broke his national indoor record three times. On February 15, 2014, he made history in Donetsk, Ukraine. He jumped 6.16 meters on his first try! This was a new absolute world record for pole vaulting. It broke Sergey Bubka's record of 6.15 meters, which had stood since 1993.
After his record jump, Renaud tried to clear 6.21 meters. On his first attempt, he fell and cut his left ankle. He needed 16 stitches. This injury ended his indoor season early. Even with the injury, people celebrated his amazing achievement. Sergey Bubka himself congratulated Renaud. The IAAF officially confirmed his world record jump.
Renaud returned to competition in April 2014. He won the pole vault event at the Drake Relays. He also won the Shanghai leg of the 2014 Diamond League with a jump of 5.92 meters.
2016: Rio Olympics Silver
At the 2016 Olympics in Rio, Renaud was a favorite to win gold. However, Thiago Braz da Silva from Brazil had a fantastic performance. Renaud cleared 5.93 meters and then 5.98 meters. But da Silva decided to skip 5.98 meters and went for 6.03 meters. Da Silva cleared 6.03 meters, setting a new Olympic record. Renaud tried 6.08 meters but failed, earning the silver medal.
During the competition and medal ceremony, some of the crowd booed Renaud. This upset him greatly. He later apologized for comparing the incident to Jesse Owens being booed in 1936. He said his comment was made in the heat of the moment.
2020: The Ultimate Garden Clash
When the COVID-19 pandemic stopped most sports events in 2020, Renaud came up with a new idea. He created "The Ultimate Garden Clash." This event allowed athletes to compete from their own backyards. World Athletics streamed it live online on May 3, 2020. The rules were different: vaulters had to clear a 5-meter bar as many times as possible in two 15-minute periods. Renaud tied with Mondo Duplantis, both clearing the bar 36 times.
Awards and Recognition
Renaud Lavillenie has received many awards for his achievements:
- French Legion of Honour (2014)
- IAAF Men's World Athlete of the Year: 2014
- Men's Track & Field Athlete of the Year: 2014
- Men's European Athlete of the Year: 2014
- L'Équipe Champion of Champions (International and France): 2014
Personal Best Jumps
Renaud's best jumps are:
Indoor
- Pole vault: 6.16 meters (Donetsk, 2014) - This is the former absolute world record.
Outdoor
- Pole vault: 6.05 meters (Eugene, 2015) - This is the French national record.
Personal Life
Renaud Lavillenie married Anaïs Poumarat in 2018. They had been together for 11 years. Anaïs is also a pole vaulter. They have a daughter named Iris, who was born in July 2017.
Images for kids
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Renaud Lavillenie at the 2009 European Indoor Championships
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Renaud Lavillenie in 2012
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Renaud Lavillenie in 2013
See also
In Spanish: Renaud Lavillenie para niños
