Renaud Lavillenie world-leading clearance of 6.03m in the men’s pole vault was one of the highlights at the Jablonec Indoor Gala on Saturday, 5 March.
Complete Results – Jablonec Indoor Gala
Lavillenie, who was being bothered by ankle and knee problems in the early parts of the season, showed that he’s back to normal and is rounding into good form at the right with IAAF World Indoor Championships less than two weeks away.
The world record-holder entered the competition at 5.74m, a height cleared by only one other athlete — before advancing to 5.90m after the rest of the field had dropped out.
After clearing 5.90m on the first approach, the Frenchman went over 6.03m on the second time of asking to improve his previous world-best and seasonal best of 6.02m, which he used to win in Clermont-Ferrand last month.
Lavillenie also made three attempts at 6.10m but missed all three tries.
Jan Kudlicka of the Czech Republic was second on the day with a mark of 5.74m, with Stanley Joseph of France taking third place with a clearance of 5.64m.
In action on the track, World indoor 60m champion Richard Kilty, who will not defend his title in Portland 2016 later this month after false-starting at the British Indoor Championships, stormed to a seasonal best time of 6.50 seconds to win in Jablonec.
Kilty’s time is joint second fastest for the year with Jamaican Asafa Powell, the man who also leads the world with a mark of 6.49 seconds.
Earlier in the semi-final heats, the British sprinter posted 6.59 secs to win his section with the fastest qualifying time.
His countryman Theo Etienne, produced a personal-best of 6.56 for second place, with the 19-year-old finishing ahead of Hensley Paulina of the Netherlands who also ran a personal best of 6.64 for third.
In the women’s 60m dash, Trinidad and Tobago’s Michelle-Lee Ahye sped to a national record-equalling time of 7.10 seconds to win the final comfortably.
The time is joint-sixth fastest in the world this season.
Earlier in the heats, Ahye posted a time of 7.11.
Maja Mihalinec of Slovenia finished second in a new personal best of 7.24 seconds in the final, having clocked 7.25 (previous PB) in the heats.
Meanwhile, European champion Tiffany Porter of Great Britain set seasonal bests en route to winning the women’s 60m hurdles.
The 28-year-old recorded a time of 7.93secs in the heats before improving that to 7.89secs in the decider.
Elsewhere at the meet, USA’s Jarret Eaton won the men’s 60m hurdle with a season’s best of 7.54, Tomas Stanek of the Czech Republic took the men’s Shot Put with a personal best effort of 21.30m, while fellow countryman Radek Juska won the long jump with a mark of 8.03m, which he did in the first round.
