Lavillenie and Murer top stars
DONETSK (UKR): Olympic winner Renaud Lavillenie who is unbeaten so far this indoor season will be the top star of Samsung Pole Vault Stars on Saturday, February 9 in Ukraine. The local ice-hockey hall will be again transformed to hot pole vault arena under the leadership of the main organizer, legendary Sergey Bubka. Main rivals of the French world leader (592 in Rouen on January 26) will be German Malte Mohr, Greek record holder Kostadinos Filippidis and British record holder Steven Lewis. Also in the field Czech olympic finalist Jan Kudlicka and former World indoor champion Yevgeniy Lukyanenko of Russia. US vaulting school will be represented by Mark Hollis. On the women side World champion Fabiana Murer will fight against Cuban olympic medalist Yarisley Silva, 2009 World Champion Anna Rogowska and European Champion from Helsinki Jirina Svoboda of Czech Republic. Germans will be represented by Lisa Ryzih and another top name is World junior record holder Angelica Bengtsson of Sweden. Also here one US jumper, Mary Saxer (455 last Saturday in Boston).
Renaud Lavillenie is the gold medalist from the 2012 London Olympics. He won a pole vault competition where he was challenged by the best vaulters in the world. In this day and age, the best male vaulting country is Germany, in terms of depth, consistency and technique.
Lavillenie is becoming a global superstar. He speaks fluent French and English, which gives him access to much of the world’s media. He is savvy enough to know when and how to promote his main sponsor, Nike. Remember, after the 2011 Euro Indoors, when Lavillenie tied his shoes around his neck, with the French flag in the background? Lavillenie gets it.
Sports is entertainment.
Renaud Lavillenie competed in the US at the Reno US Pole Vault Summit. The US Pole Vault Summit, which was started around 1993, is the largest pole vault only event in the world. Lavillenie put himself in front of the next generation of American vaulters, coaches and vault fans.
This was a good thing for the vault in the US.
From: http://www.runblogrun.com/2013/02/lavillenie-and-murer-to-samsung-pole-vault-stars-in-donetsk-by-alfons-juck-note-by-larry-eder.html
