“Ultimate Garden Clash”
Starting in the garden: The three best pole vaulters in the world provided entertainment on Sunday with a show fight on two continents.
With 36 five-meter jumps within 30 minutes, youngster Armand Duplantis and old master Renaud Lavillenie shared the title in a show triathlon of the high-flyers. The two world-class pole vaulters delivered a thrilling duel to the last second on Sunday – double world champion Sam Kendricks from the USA had to make do with third place with 26 five-meter jumps without fail.
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All three athletes competed in the long-distance competition on their jump systems in their garden: the Frenchman Lavillenie at home in Clermont-Ferrand, the American Kendricks in Oxford / Mississippi, indoor world record holder «Mondo» Duplantis (Sweden) was at his home in Lafayette / Louisiana.
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With the “Ultimate Garden Clash”, the three aces wanted to set an example in the corona crisis and the sport that was paralyzed worldwide. “I give him a piece of the gold medal: I’m the first winner and Mondo is the second winner,” said Lavillenie with a laugh. The 33-year-old Olympic champion from France finished his 36th successful attempt a few seconds earlier than the 13-year-old Duplantis, who set the indoor world record to a fantastic 6.18 meters in February.
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(DPA)
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