Indoor season over for world record holder Lavillenie
France's pole-vaulter Renaud Lavillenie reacts during the "All Star Perche" international athletics indoors meeting, at the "Maison des Sports" in Clermont-Ferrand on February 5, 2017. PHOTO | THIERRY ZOCCOLAN |
What you need to know:
- The 30-year-old made headlines last year when breaking down in tears as he was harangued by a partisan home crowd at the Rio Olympics as unheralded Brazilian Thiago Braz sensationally won gold.
- Lavillenie will miss the European Indoor Championships in Belgrade next month.
PARIS
Pole vault world record holder Renaud Lavillenie is ending his indoor season to give himself a chance "to heal", his coach said on Tuesday.
"His quad is healed but one hamstring is not in great shape, he has spasms," Philippe D'Encausse told AFP.
"He was compensating, there's no point continuing. It's a result of a lack of training."
The 30-year-old, who made headlines last year when breaking down in tears as he was harangued by a partisan home crowd at the Rio Olympics as unheralded Brazilian Thiago Braz sensationally won gold, will miss the European Indoor Championships in Belgrade next month.
Lavillenie, the world record-holder for both indoors (6.16m) and outdoors (6.05m), injured his leg at the beginning of winter and had competed only twice this year.
He won Olympic gold in London in 2012 and is a twice world indoor, three-time European outdoor and four-time European indoor champion.
