Renaud Lavillenie was the star guest at a European Athletics Championships Zürich 2014 media conference at Letzigrund Stadium on Friday.
The pole vaulter is the new high flyer of the event after snatching the world record from the legendary Sergey Bubka by clearing 6.16m earlier this year. He will no doubt be one of the most illustrious stars of the championships in Zürich this summer.
“I look forward to the championships at Letzigrund Stadium. Zürich is an athletics city, famous for providing athletes with the best possible conditions, and also for celebrating our sport in a very special way,” explained the world record holder and reigning Olympic champion.
Zürich 2014 is clearly the next goal for the French pole vaulter. After Barcelona 2010 and Helsinki 2012, he will be competing for his third consecutive gold medal at European Athletics Championships.
“I enjoy outdoor competitions even more,” he explained. “There is simply more sky, more air, and a greater sense of freedom than in an indoor arena.” He also stressed that atmosphere was an important factor: “In Zurich, we are very close to the crowd, and their energy is extremely motivating.”
Lavillenie used his visit to Zurich to put the championship venue to the test. He trained in the stadium tunnel and tried out the new top-performance track system by CONICA. The Schaffhausen-based company will retop the Letzigrund track with the new surface this June. Extensive biomechanical tests have confirmed the benefits of the new surfacing system.
According to Lavillenie, the long run-up track at Letzigrund Stadium is another plus. The track at the most recent world championships in Moscow had been too short for him, and he had to settle for silver.
During his visit to Letzigrund Stadium, he actually took the trouble to measure the run-up track again, just to make sure: “The length of the run-up track is ideal for me. There are even some metres in reserve.”
At this point, another world record is not a priority for the 27-year-old. “It’s very important to maintain the very high level I am competing at right now.” His coach Philippe D’Encausse supports this attitude, but he is also convinced that his athlete is capable of jumping even higher: “It’s something we are working on systematically.”
It seems that the European Athletics Championships in Zürich this summer will be the perfect stage for him to break his outdoor best of 6.02m.