Pole vault kings Duplantis, Lavillenie tie in back-garden competition

Armand Duplantis and Renaud Lavillenie cleared five metres 36 times in half an hour, while Sam Kendricks managed 26 successful attempts.

Published : May 03, 2020 22:43 IST

FILE PHOTO: American-born Swede Armand Duplantis at the World Athletics Glasgow Indoor Grand Prix.

Three of the best pole vaulters of all time went head-to-head in a competition on Sunday from their back gardens, as sport continues to find new ways of continuing despite the coronavirus pandemic.

World record holder Armand Duplantis and former Olympic champion Renaud Lavillenie cleared five metres 36 times in half an hour, while world champion Sam Kendricks managed 26 successful attempts.

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The event, livestreamed by World Athletics on social media, saw Lavillenie competing from his home in Clermont-Ferrand, France, with Swedish star Duplantis in Lafayette, Louisiana and Kendricks in Oxford, Mississippi.

The 20-year-old Duplantis wanted an extra three minutes to decide a winner, but Lavillenie, 33, said he was “done”.