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IAAF Golden League Paris 2009 - Bolt, Bekele, Willard, Richards Shine In Rain

By LetsRun.com
July 17, 2009

Meeting Areva Paris Results

Previous 2009 LRC Golden League Recaps
Golden League Oslo July 3
Golden League Rome
July 10

Previous 2009 LRC IAAF Grand Prix Recaps
Lausane Grand Prix July 7

IAAF Golden League The fourth Golden League meet delighted, as it featured a classic performance from Kenenisa Bekele against Bernard Lagat, a big win for Anna Willard in the 800m in 1:58.80, an unbelievable career record for 24-year-old Sanya Richards, continued dominance from the four $1 million Jackpot contenders and another superhuman run from the one man show Usain Bolt. See our commentary of all the events below along with video of Bolt and Willard.

Premier Events

Men's 3k: Bekele Wins A Classic Over Lagat
Once double world champ Bernard Lagat was added to the Paris 3k as a late addition, this race had the potential to be a classic. Who would win at 3k? The 1,500 man Lagat or the 10k man Bekele?

The race certainly lived up to the hype, but in the end, Kenenisa Bekele proved his greatness by getting the win over Lagat. But it was by no means easy for Bekele, as he appeared to be "running scared" the whole time, fearful that Lagat would get him at the end.

With Lagat in the field, it was no surprise that Bekele wanted the pace to be extremely hot. The goal for the rabbits was 2:27 for the first 1k and 4:54 for the first 2,000. An impossible pace given the conditions, as the wind was as high as 20mpw at times on Friday in Paris. However, it was essential for Bekele that the pace be hot.

The rabbits went out extremely fast, 57+ for the opening lap and 2:28.85 for 1k. Bekele was right on the rabbits' shoulders but Lagat wasn't too far behind - two to three meters in arrears. By 1,800 meters, it was clear the pace was taxing as the rabbit was having a hard time holding off Bekele. Moreover, Bekele was already looking over his shoulder to see if any damage was being done to Lagat. Yes, damage was being done as by 2k (4:58.40), Bekele had two seconds up on Lagat. But to his credit, Lagat never gave up. Over the final 1k, the two great champions kept the grind on.

Bekele had a sizeable lead (see left) but he knew he was basically maxed out and fearful Lagat would be coming. At least three times (probably 4 or 5 times), Bekele looked over his shoulder to make sure Lagat wasn't right there. With 500 to, 250 to go, and yet again as he rounded the final turn, Bekele wanted to see where he stood.

In the end, Bekele got the win in a seasonal best of 7:28.64 to Lagat's new PR of 7:33.15.

However, if one just looked at the results and saw a 4.71 margin of victory and figured this was yet another ho-hum victory by Bekele, they would be wrong as the gap was still under 3 seconds heading into the last 400. To see such a great champion as Bekele pushed to the max and running scared and appearing human with the constant looks over his shoulder was a real treat. Both he and Lagat deserve praise for keeping the pedal to the metal. Over the final 1k, both men kept the pressure on and the fans entertained. The 1,600 was probably passed in roughly 3:58 as 2k was hit in 4:58.40.

Also deserving praise was American 5k runner-up Chris Solinsky, who finished 4th in 7:37.72.

1 BEKELE Kenenisa ETH 7:28.64 
2 LAGAT Bernard USA 7:33.15 PB
3 AMDOUNI Mourad FRA 7:37.50 EL
4 SOLINSKY Chris USA 7:37.72 
5 HIGUERO Juan Carlos ESP 7:38.71 PB
6 KOMON Leonard Patrick KEN 7:38.98 SB
7 BIWOTT Yussuf Kibet KEN 7:40.96 
8 KWALIA James qat 7:44.02 
9 SALEL Daniel Lemashon KEN 7:44.39 PB
10 MAROFIT Mourad MAR 7:44.67 PB
11 YATOR Vincent KEN 7:46.34 
12 WARGA Sahle ETH 7:46.40 
13 NDIWA Cornelius KEN 7:52.94 
14 CRAGG Alistair Ian IRL 8:00.77 
  CHERKOS Abreham ETH DNF 
  ESHO Benson Marrianyi KEN DNF 
  POLONET Vickson Naran KEN DNF 

Men's 100m: "The Showman" Bolt Delivers Even In The Rain

Prior to the start of this race, the announcer on the IAAF feed summed up things perfectly as Usain Bolt was being introduced. "This is a showman. This is a man at the top of this game, a man who loves to run." (Just watch the start of the Youtube video of the race below if you don't believe us. The video is of amazing quality).

The showman certainly delivered as he got his 2nd straight victory in the pouring rain. After doing a fake windshield wiper motion during his introduction, Bolt was all business. He overcame a poor start (his reaction of .174 was 2nd worst in the field) and grabbed the lead roughly halfway into the race and pulled away to victory in 9.79, run in the drenching rain and into a headwind of -0.2 meters per second.

Coming in second was Antigua's Daniel Bailey in a new national record of 9.91 and 19-year-old Yohan Blake in a new PR of 9.93. If you need proof that everyone besides Tyson Gay knows they have no chance of beating Bolt, all you had to was watch the post-race celebrations. It was a bit weird of a scene as after the race was over, it almost looked as if there were three winners as Bailey and Blake were ecstatic about their performances. They had both set PRs and not been embarrassed by Bolt.

All three men did a victory lap.

1 BOLT Usain JAM 9.79 MR 0.174
2 BAILEY Daniel ANT 9.91 NR 0.171
3 BLAKE Yohan JAM 9.93 PB 0.163
4 THOMPSON Richard TRI 10.04  0.120
5 WILLIAMS Ivory USA 10.07  0.139
6 WILLIAMSON Simeon GBR 10.14  0.165
7 MARTINA Churandy AHO 10.17  0.173
8 COLLINS Kim SKN 10.22  0.196
9 MBANDJOCK Martial FRA 10.30  0.168

Women's 800: Strength Kills!!! Anna Willard Wins As America Gets 2nd Straight Shock Golden League 800 Win


Anna Willard Wins In Paris!

A week ago, American mid-d and distance fans got to enjoy a fantastic shock victory by Maggie Vessey in Rome. Anticipation had been building all week to see if she could do it again and break 2:00 in the process in Paris. For those that were watching live, there was a huge sense of disappointment when lane 4, which was supposed to have Maggie Vessey in it, was empty.

After the race however, American fans were likely thinking, "Maggie who?" as there was another American victor in the Golden League women's 800 for the second straight victory. Yes, that's right. Former American steeplechase record holder Anna Willard had pulled off an even bigger shocker than Vessey and won in Paris in 1:58.80.

The women' s 800 started off very quickly as the first 400 was passed in 56.78 by the rabbit, with noted frontrunner Marilyn Okoro of Great Britain right behind. Despite the hot pace, it was clear that Willard had come to run as she was up front from the start. At 400, she was in 4th (3rd if you don't count the rabbit). Russia's Oksana Zbrozhek made a big move to the lead at the 500 meter mark and would keep it until almost the finish line.

As the runners turned for home, a victory for Willard seemed to be almost unfathomable as she was only 5th. Zbrozhek still had the lead. In the last thirty meters, Italy's Elisa Piccione started to move up on the inside in lane one and looked like she would be able to steal the win in lane 1. But suddenly almost out of nowhere, way out in lane 3, Anna Willard came on strong, like "a train" as one message board poster described it.

Her last 20 meters were incredible. She looked like Andrew Wheating in a college race, but this was the Golden League. The announcers were stunned. They had no idea who the winner was. But we knew - Anna Willard in a new PR of 1:58.80! Behind Willard, the next six finishers all set seasonal bests and broke 2:00. In 8th, American 1,500 meter champion Shannon Rowbury grabbed a new personal best of 2:00.94. The only person in the field who left disappointed was American Hazel Clark who ran a disasterous last-placed 2:03.13 showing.

How did that happen? Well, Willard, given her steeple background, was just stronger than everyone else. Everyone else just ran out of steam and Willard got the win. The spltis for the leaders had been 56.78 and 1:28.24.

1 WILLARD Anna USA 1:58.80 PB
2 CUSMA PICCIONE Elisa ITA 1:58.99 SB
3 ZBROZHEK Oksana RUS 1:59.13 SB
4 OKORO Marilyn GBR 1:59.56 SB
5 GUEGAN Elodie FRA 1:59.57 SB
6 ROSTKOWSKA Anna POL 1:59.77 SB
7 KLOCOVÁ Lucia SVK 1:59.79 SB
8 ROWBURY Shannon USA 2:00.94 PB
9 CLARK RILEY Hazel USA 2:03.13 
  TSYGANOVA Natalya RUS DNF 
  VESSEY Maggie USA DNS 

Sprints

Men's 400m
Five days after a mediocre 45.74 clocking, Jeremy Wariner ran almost a half second faster to get the Golden League win, but his winning time of 45.28 will go down as one of the slowest winning times in Golden League history.

IAAF Golden League Blustery conditions in Paris can't be entirely blamed for the slow time of Wariner, though the meet announcers were looking to blame something other than Wariner's fitness for his stunningly average performance. After his 45.74 on Sunday, we were getting emails saying that Wariner got in late as a result of bad travel. This performance, despite the win, certainly provides further evidence that Wariner is not yet fit enough to challenge LaShawn Merritt.

Wariner got off smoothly, but not quickly. He picked it up in the 3rd 100m to come off the turn just ahead of the field. The final 100m could have been a time for Wariner to really excel, but instead he lost ground to Chris Brown of the Bahamas and Leslie Djhone of France.

Was Wariner's performance a complete disaster? Probably not, judging by his defeat of Brown, who won the 400m in Rome in 44.81 just a week ago. Brown ran 45.44, 0.63 seconds slower than Rome. If Wariner's time is adjusted by 0.63, then he would have run 44.65 in Rome, certainly a much more standard performance for the seldom-raced Wariner.

1 WARINER Jeremy USA 45.28  0.251
2 BROWN Christopher BAH 45.44  0.252
3 DJHONE Leslie FRA 45.47  0.188
4 NEVILLE David USA 45.49  0.259
5 WISSMAN Johan SWE 45.86 SB 0.219
6 CHAMBERS Ricardo JAM 45.87  0.180
7 BENJAMIN Timothy GBR 46.32  0.213
8 STEFFENSEN John AUS 48.32  0.227

Women's 400h: Poland's Olichwierc Wins As Olympic Champ Walker Starts To Find Her Form
Poland's Anna Jesien Olichwierc, the bronze medallist at the 2007 Worlds, picked up her 2nd straight Golden League meet as she edged the Olympic champ Melaine Walker 54.37 to 54.47. Going into the last hurdle, Olichwierc had a tiny lead and she was able to maintain it to the finish. Coming in third was Tiffany Williams, who had a seasonal best of 54.72.

Despite the loss, the Olympic champ Walker had to be pleased with her peformance, as it was a huge step in the right direction for her. She ran only 55.24 in Lausanne last week but got a big seaonsal best of 54.47 tonight. Her previous SB was the 54.70 she ran to win the Jamaican champs. Interestingly enough, Walker actually ran faster around the oval than Olichwierc did, as her reaction time was .19 slower and she only lost by .10. No one worries too much about working on the start in the 400h but maybe they should!

1 JESIEN OLICHWIERC Anna POL 54.37  0.217
2 WALKER Melaine JAM 54.47 SB 0.407
3 WILLIAMS Tiffany USA 54.72 SB 0.173
4 LUCAS Josanne TRI 54.88  0.318
5 MOROSANU Angela ROU 56.16  0.294
6 WILSON Nickiesha JAM 56.42  0.341
7 KASSAMBARA Aurore FRA 57.48  0.309
8 ANARCHASIS Phara FRA 57.77  0.275

Women's 400: Sanya Richards Dominates To Become Most Prolific Sub-50 Runner Ever
IAAF Golden League Sanya Richards kept her Golden League jackpot dream alive and also became the most prolific sub-50 400 runner in women's track and field history in Paris. Wearing a yellow "Livestrong" jersey, Richards blew away the field with a 49.34 clocking, marking the 37th time that Richards has broken 50, one more than Germany's Marita Koch, whom most believe was almost certainly on steroids.

Richards ran very strong for the first 50 or so meters, almost making up the entire stagger on the runner on her outside, but then seemed to back off  and cruised the next 200 or so before just crushing the field over the last 125-150 meters, the lead widening with each step. In the end, she won by more than a second over Jamaica's Novlene Williams Mills, who ran 50.39.

On a day that up until Richards' race was producing very slow winning times due to the blustery conditions, it was impressive that Richards just missed her own world-leading time of 49.23 that she ran in Oslo.

1 RICHARDS Sanya USA 49.34  0.273
2 WILLIAMS MILLS Novlene JAM 50.39  0.317
3 MONTSHO Amantle BOT 50.61 SB 0.319
4 DUNN Debbie USA 50.66 PB 0.389
5 THIAM Amy Mbacke SEN 50.93  0.272
6 HARGROVE Monica USA 51.02  0.305
7 HASTINGS Natasha USA 51.53  0.196
8 DÉSERT MARILLER Solen FRA 52.33  0.403

Distance

Men's Steeplechase: A Frenchman Embarrasses Himself
Given the popularity of "the showman" Usain Bolt, everyone nowadays seems to think they'll be popular if they just celebrate before the finish line. Wrong.

This race was the perfect example of that as it was won in disgusting fashion by France's Olympic silver medallist Mahiedine Mekhissi-Benabbad.

The race was hyped as a sub-8:00 attempt but after the opening km was run in only 2:42.50, it was clear that the driving rain and puddles in lane one had made that goal impossible. It was all about the victory.

With 800 to go, Sweden's Mustafa Mohamed had the lead. He was being followed closely by Kenya's 2004 Olympic champ and 2009 world leader Ezekiel Kemboi, who had run 7:58 way back in early May. With 300 to go, Kemboi went to the lead but he didn't maintain it for long as Mekhissi-Benabbad powered to the lead and by the water jump it was clear he was going tobe the winner. Coming off the final turn, he looked over his shoulder to make sure he was clear of the field and then started to celebrate. Both arms outstretched, he flapped his arms and looked at the crowd. He then looked down at his chest and ripped off his number before sticking his tongue out at the finish line, before kissing the camera after the finish. The entire last 80 meters was an embarrassing display. It didn't look authentic; it looked forced and crass.

Kemboi ended up 2nd in 8:15.27.

1 Mahiedine Mekhissi-Benabbad FRA 8:13.23 20
2 Ezekiel Kemboi KEN 8:15.27 16
3 Jukka Keskisalo FIN 8:15.59 14
4 Abel Kiprop Mutai KEN 8:16.42 12
5 Wesley Kiprotich KEN 8:16.44 10
6 Mustafa Mohamed SWE 8:18.44 8
7 Benjamin Kiplagat UGA 8:19.70 6
8 Collins Kosgei KEN 8:19.81 4
9 Roba Gary ETH 8:20.30 3
10 Ruben Ramolefi RSA 8:26.54 3
11 Legese Lamiso ETH 8:29.90 3
12 Vincent Zouaoui Dandrieaux FRA 8:31.44 3
13 Vincent Le Dauphin FRA 8:38.36
14 Simon Ayeko UGA 8:39.11
15 Abdelhamid Zerrifi ALG 8:53.36
Elijah Chelimo Kipterege KEN DNF
David Kiprono Langat KEN DNF

Men's 800m - Ismail Runs Like Class Of The field
After a relatively slow 400m, the 800m went slowly as well. Ahmed Ismail, the Olympic Silver medal winner at 800m, was the only man in the field under 1:46 in 1:45.85. American Khadevis Robinson got himself in good position for most of the race, but could not challenge Ismail and settled for 3rd, moving up from 4th in the final 100m.

All the talk of the day was about the wind in the stadium. It seemed like the wind was bringing the fields closer together, as it was harder for the guys in front to get away. Khadevis ran 1:44.47 on his own a few days ago in America, so his 1:46 today shows that the blustery conditions must have played a part.

French drug cheat Florent Lacasse continues his return from a doping suspension and was 5th in a seasonal best 1:47.39. Paris, the only major international meet rumored to be willing to invite Dwain Chambers to run, back-tracked on their promise, but still allow the hometown drug cheat to toe the line.

Splits: 25 low (200m), 51.61 (400m), 1:19.45 (600m), 1:45.74 (54.24 final lap for Ismail)

1 ISMAIL Ahmed SUD 1:45.85 
2 MANSOUR Nadjim ALG 1:46.31 
3 ROBINSON Khadevis USA 1:46.47 
4 RIMMER Michael GBR 1:46.73 
5 LACASSE Florent FRA 1:47.39 SB
6 WILLIAMS Karjuan USA 1:47.51 
7 CAMPBELL David IRL 1:47.54 
8 BATTANI Mohamed MAR 1:48.88 
9 HAUTCOEUR Kevin FRA 1:49.45 
  ABDELGADER Abdallah SUD DNF 

More Sprints

Men's 110m Hurdles - Fantastic Race For American Dexter Faulk
IAAF Golden League No Dayron Robles, David Oliver or David Payne in the 110s means a race that might not appear to really matter. The absence of the top stars sometimes provides an opportunity for the second-tier guys to show that they are the best of the rest. American Dexter Faulk did just that, as he blew away the competition in a fantastic 13.14 into a minor headwind. Earlier this year, he almost defeated Dayron Robles and now he is a Golden League winner with a time that is only 0.1 off of the world leader. Faulk had an unbelievably fantastic start to the race, and carried his early momentum to a comfortable victory over his international rivals. He looked like he could be a Worlds medal winner, but he won't get that chance this year.

In Eugene, Faulk failed to make the American team after running 13.16 and 13.17 in the preliminary and semifinal rounds. His stumble in the final meant he was off the American team. But he'll take the Golden League win, as he'll make way more money and turn way more heads with that one win than he would with a third place at USAs.

Veteran American hurdler and LetsRun.com favorite Allen Johnson set a seasonal best running 13.67 out of lane 9. Next to Faulk, Johnson had the best start in the race.

1 FAULK Dexter USA 13.14  0.110
2 THOMAS Dwight JAM 13.30 PB 0.166
3 DARIEN Garfield FRA 13.39 PB 0.184
4 MERRITT Aries USA 13.42  0.148
5 TURNER Andrew GBR 13.44  0.178
6 HICKS Antwon USA 13.49  0.206
7 JOHNSON Allen USA 13.67 SB 0.125
8 DOUCOURE Ladji FRA 13.68  0.203
9 WILSON Ryan USA 14.03  0.177

Women's 100m Hurdles - Another Big Win For Harper As Cherry Returns To Action
American Olympic Champion Dawn Harper got another huge win against a top field as she emerged from a very tight field in the final hurdles to take the win in 12.68 into a slight headwind. Americans took 5 out of the top 6 places, as Australian Sally McClellan and Canadians Priscilla Lopes-Schliep and Perdita Felicien did not race.

Damu Cherry returned to Golden League action after being shut out of the Rome meet despite being in contention for the jackpot. But any controversy (Cherry has a drug suspension in her past) can be put to rest, as Cherry was not a player in this race, finishing 6th just behind Lolo Jones in 5th.

1 HARPER Dawn USA 12.68  0.268
2 PERRY Michelle USA 12.75  0.174
3 POWELL Virginia USA 12.81  0.188
4 ENNIS LONDON Delloreen JAM 12.81  0.154
5 JONES Lolo USA 12.91  0.179
6 CHERRY Damu USA 13.01  0.250
7 GOLDING-CLARKE Lacena JAM 13.14  0.160
8 GOMIS Sandra FRA 13.17  0.179
9 BILLAUD Cindy FRA 13.18  0.151

Women's 100m - Kerron Stewart Stays In Jackpot Contention
Jamaican Kerron Stewart blasted another Golden League 100m field as her dominant season continues. Her winning time of 10.99 matched her 10.99 win in Oslo's Bislett Games, her 10.99 preliminary round run in Rome and her 11.00 win in the first Golden League meeting in Berlin.

Only one of her rivals looks capable of beating her, and that rival is compatriot Shelly-Ann Fraser, who did not run in Paris. Fraser and Stewart went 1-2 in Beijing and this year stand 1-2 in the world rankings. Stewart's 10.75 in the Rome final raised her to the #5 performer of all time in the event. Fraser ran 10.88 in that race but has the mental edge, having defeated Stewart in the rounds of Beijing.

1 STEWART Kerron JAM 10.99  0.181
2 STURRUP Chandra BAH 11.15  0.227
3 BAILEY Aleen JAM 11.26  0.174
4 ANDERSON Alexandria USA 11.27  0.198
5 MOORE Lashauntea USA 11.31  0.177
6 WILLIAMS Lauryn USA 11.31  0.166
7 BAPTISTE Kelly Ann TRI 11.34  0.142
8 FELIX Allyson USA 11.49  0.192
9 SOUMARE Myriam FRA 11.51  0.146

Field Events

IAAF Golden League Men's Javelin - Olympic Champ Shines Again
A week after defeating Temo Pitkämäki in Rome, Andreas Thorkildsen got the better of his Finnish rival again with an excellent 88.03m (288 feet) throw. Last week Thorkildsen broke through with one mighty heave to derail Pitkämäki's Golden Jackpot hopes. Until that single effort, the Norweigan was nowhere close to Pitkämäki, whose steady efforts yielded 85m-plus throws time and time again.

It seems now that Thorkildsen has more firepower in his arm; it's just a matter of harnessing the power at the right moment. On the other hand, Pitkämäki is lacking in the absolute distance capability of Thorkildsen, though his consistency is remarkable.

American Chris Hill's struggles in Europe continued, as he finished last in 77m, which he threw on his first attempt.

1 Andreas Thorkildsen NOR 88.03 20
2 Tero Pitkämäki FIN 86.68 16
3 Vadims Vasilevskis LAT 82.82 14
4 Teemu Wirkkala FIN 82.49 12
5 Oleksandr Pyatnytsya UKR 81.96 10
6 Mark Frank GER 81.73 8
7 Eriks Rags LAT 80.48 6
8 Chris Hill USA 77.01 4

Womens' Pole Vault - Isinbayeva Wins On Her Opening Height
There were no surprises at all in the women's pole vault despite nasty vaulting conditions. Blustery winds, cool temperatures and even some rain could not deter Yelena Isinbayeva's quest to win a portion of the Golden League Jackpot, a scenario that seems increasingly likely after some initial worries.

Where is American Jenn Stuczynski and why is she not competing against Isinbayeva? Isinbayeva looks very good, but she is not at her dominant best. We hope Jenn S., the Olympic runner-up, can get herself to one of the final two Golden League meets to give Isinbayeva a competent challenge.

1 Elena Isinbaeva RUS 4.65 20
2 Svetlana Feofanova RUS 4.55 15
2 Anna Rogowska POL 4.55 15
4 Chelsea Johnson USA 4.45 12
5 Fabiana Murer BRA 4.45 9
5 Monika Pyrek POL 4.45 9
7 Yuliya Golubchikova RUS 4.35 6
8 Stacy Dragila USA 4.35 4
Anna Battke GER NM
Silke Spiegelburg GER NM

Women's High Jump - Vlašic Extends A New Streak
Another Golden League win for Blanka Vlašic is the good news for the Croatian. Her second consecutive meet without clearing 2.00m is the bad news. But now that she's out of the Golden Jackpot chase thanks to Ariane Friedrich and Antionette Di Martino, she'll trade any bump in the road for her first senior world championship in Berlin in a few weeks. Perhaps her minor struggles will take the "favorite" monkey off of her back and allow her to come through under pressure.

1 Blanka Vlašic CRO 1.99 20
2 Anna Chicherova RUS 1.97 16
3 Antonietta Di Martino ITA 1.97 14
4 Marina Aitova KAZ 1.92 12
5 Viktoriya Klyugina RUS 1.92 10
6 Chaunté Howard USA 1.89 8
7 Amy Acuff USA 1.89 6
8 Nicole Forrester CAN 1.85 4

Men's Triple Jump - Idowu Takes Down Cuban Trio In Berlin WC Preview
Great Britain's Olympic runner-up Phillips Idowu won a battle of the world's top triple jumpers with a 17.17m, a win that has to give him a lot of confidence heading in to Beijing.

Billed as a battle between Idowu and Frenchman Teddy Tamgho, in fact the Cuban trio should have headed the bill, as all three have jumped wind-legal 17.62m or better this season. Idowu's best is 17.60m this season, but his performance in Paris eclipsed all of the rest as he came through in the late rounds to take the lead.

1 Phillips Idowu GBR 17.17 +0.9 20
2 Jadel Gregório BRA 17.12 +1.3 16
3 Arnie David Girat CUB 17.07 +0.8 14
4 Alexis Copello CUB 17.00 +0.2 12
5 Teddy Tamgho FRA 16.97 +0.4 10
6 Leevan Sands BAH 16.78 -0.2 8
7 Brandon Roulhac USA 16.74 -0.4 6
8 Karl Taillepierre FRA 16.30 +0.6 4
9 Julien Kapek FRA 16.21 +1.2
Yoandris Betanzos CUB NM
Benjamin Compaoré FRA NM

Men's Pole Vault - Precocious Renaud Lavillenie Thrills Home Crowd
Less than a month removed from clearing 6.01m, 22-year-old Frenchman Renaud Lavillenie is officially having the summer of his life. In this week alone he has ended the long win streak of Olympic Champion Steve Hooker of Australia and he has won a Golden League meet in very tough conditions. Still standing as the world's #1 vaulter by height this outdoor season, Lavillenie likely will enter Berlin as the favorite, at least among those who have been closely following the meets this summer.

1 Renaud Lavillenie FRA 5.70 20
2 Damiel Dossévi FRA 5.60 16
3 Malte Mohr GER 5.45 14
4 Derek Miles USA 5.45 12
5 Romain Mesnil FRA 5.45 10
6 Paul Burgess AUS 5.30 7
6 Toby Stevenson USA 5.30 7
8 Björn Otto GER 5.30 4
Danny Ecker GER DNS
Jérôme Clavier FRA NM
Pavel Gerasimov RUS NM

The next IAAF Golden League Meet is not until August 28th (Weltklasse in Zürich), followed by the Memorial Van Damme in Brussels on September 4.

 

            
  

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