PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — France’s Renaud Lavillenie attempted to break his own world record in the pole vault, but settled for the gold medal in the event Thursday night at the World Indoor Track and Field Championships.
Lavillenie bested American Sam Kendricks for the championship, clearing 19 feet, 9 inches. He then set the bar at 20-2¾, in the bid to surpass his record, indoor and outdoor, of 20-2½ inches, set in 2014 at an event in the Ukraine. He missed all three attempts.
Kendricks, the reigning outdoor national champion who won the U.