38 Facts About Renaud Lavillenie

Renaud Lavillenie has won one silver medal and four bronze medals at the World Championships.

Renaud Lavillenie was the pole vault overall winner of the IAAF Diamond League in seven consecutive years, from 2010 to 2016.

Outside pole vaulting, Renaud Lavillenie is a keen motorcyclist, and raced in the 2013 Le Mans 24 Hours for motorcycles, finishing 25th.

Renaud Lavillenie subsequently entered the 2014 race, aiming for a top 20 finish.

Renaud Lavillenie made his pole vault competition debut in 2003, at the age of 17.

Renaud Lavillenie improved his outdoor personal best to 5.81 m in May 2009, beating veteran French pole vaulter Romain Mesnil in Forbach.

Renaud Lavillenie achieved another world-leading outdoor mark with a winning jump of 6.01 m on 21 June 2009 at the 2009 European Team Championships in Leiria, Portugal.

At the 2009 World Championships, Renaud Lavillenie vaulted 5.80 m in the pole vault final to win the bronze medal behind Steven Hooker and Romain Mesnil.

Renaud Lavillenie took part in the 2009 IAAF World Athletics Final but failed to record a mark and finished last.

At the 2010 World Indoor Championships, Renaud Lavillenie's only cleared 5.45 m in the qualification round and did not qualify for the final.

Renaud Lavillenie enjoyed better success at the inaugural 2010 IAAF Diamond League, in which he won four of the seven pole vault events to become its pole vault overall winner.

On 5 March 2011, in the 2011 European Indoor Championships pole vault final in Paris, Renaud Lavillenie vaulted 6.03 m to win his second consecutive European Indoor Championships gold medal and break the French national indoor pole vault record that had been held by Jean Galfione since 6 March 1999.

Renaud Lavillenie only managed fifth place in the pole vault event of the outdoor 2011 European Team Championships.

Renaud Lavillenie won four of the seven pole vault events in the 2011 IAAF Diamond League to become its pole vault overall winner for the second year running.

Renaud Lavillenie underwent surgery on his left hand after he broke it due to a snapped pole accident in December 2011.

At the 2012 European Championships, Renaud Lavillenie cleared 5.97 m in the final to win the European Championships gold medal for the second time in a row.

At the 2012 Olympic Games, Renaud Lavillenie won the gold medal by clearing 5.97 m in the final.

Renaud Lavillenie had earlier failed to clear 5.91 m on his first attempt and 5.97 m on his second.

Renaud Lavillenie won five of the seven pole vault events in the 2012 IAAF Diamond League to become its pole vault overall winner for the third year running.

At the 2013 European Indoor Championships, Renaud Lavillenie won the pole vault title for the third time in a row after clearing 6.01 m in the final.

Renaud Lavillenie did not miss any attempts at 6.01 m and below, with first time clearances at 5.61,5.76,5.86,5.91,5.96 and 6.01 m After two unsuccessful attempts at 6.07 m, his third attempt at this height was judged by the competition officials as a foul.

Renaud Lavillenie then had the bar raised to a height of 6.16 m, but he failed to clear that height three consecutive times.

Renaud Lavillenie was the overwhelming favorite to win the 2013 World Championships pole vault title in Moscow.

Renaud Lavillenie had dominated the event since the start of 2013.

Renaud Lavillenie attempted to break the 14-year-old world decathlon best in the pole vault event at the annual Decastar meeting in September 2013, but he managed only to clear a height of 5.47 m in his specialist event.

Renaud Lavillenie was unbeaten in six indoor meetings during the 2014 winter season, and improved his national indoor record three times, including his world record performance in Donetsk, Ukraine on 15 February.

On 31 January 2014, Renaud Lavillenie cleared 6.08 m with some room to spare on his first attempt, at the Pedro's Cup indoors meeting in Bydgoszcz, Poland.

In both the Bydgoszcz and Rouen meetings, Renaud Lavillenie had the bar raised to a height of 6.16 m, but in both meetings he failed in all his three attempts to clear that height.

Renaud Lavillenie claimed the men's world record with 6.16 m on 15 February 2014.

Fortunately, Renaud Lavillenie did not suffer any damage to his ankle ligament or bone.

Renaud Lavillenie was given 16 stitches in a Donetsk hospital to close his ankle wound.

Renaud Lavillenie was the favorite to win the Olympic gold in pole vaulting, but a strong performance from the host country's Thiago Braz da Silva left him with the silver medal.

Renaud Lavillenie cleared 5.93 m with his third effort at the finals.

Renaud Lavillenie, having failed his first two attempts at 6.03 m, attempted 6.08 with his final jump but failed, knocking the bar off with his knee.

Renaud Lavillenie was booed by the crowd during the competition and the medal ceremony, causing him to break down in tears as da Silva attempted to calm the crowd and support Renaud Lavillenie.

Renaud Lavillenie compared the incident to Jesse Owens being booed at the Olympics in 1936, although he later apologized for the comment, saying it was made in the heat of the moment and he deeply regretted it.

The event rules were changed so that vaulters had to clear a fixed 5m bar as many times as possible in two 15-minute stretches; in the event, Renaud Lavillenie ended up in a tie with Mondo Duplantis, each clearing the bar 36 times, ahead of Sam Kendricks with 26.

Renaud Lavillenie married Anais Poumarat in 2018, following 11 years of dating.