Duplantis, Kendricks, Lisek and Lavillenie set for Doha clash

Pole vault six-metre club members Armand Duplantis, Sam Kendricks, Piotr Lisek and Renaud Lavillenie will return to battle at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Doha on 25 September.

Duplantis, the world record holder at 6.18m, has been unstoppable this year, unbeaten thus far in 13 competitions in 2020. In the fading light of Lausanne eight days ago, the 20-year-old topped 6.07m, best outdoor vault in the world for 26 years. It took that vault to beat Kendricks, the two-time world champion, who topped 6.02m, the second highest clearance of his career.

“After Lausanne I was desperate to get back out and compete, I felt like I was in the zone and it’s hard to take a step back in those situations, but I had to play safe," Duplantis said.

“I’m excited to compete in Doha and to continue this season. After a delayed start we’re all getting into good shape so this should be a great competition. I love pole vault – we all do – and when we compete against each other we really push each other on, it brings out the best of us.”

Lisek, the 2019 world silver medallist, has a 5.90m season's best to his credit and has won his lat two meetings at the Skolimowska Memorial in Silesia, where he beat Kendricks, and again in Dessau two days ago, topping 5.82m and 5.80m, respectively.

Lavillenie, the most experienced of the quartet and former world record holder, is working his way back to fitness after suffering a hand injury in the summer. He finished second at the Golden Spike World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meeting in Ostrava on Tuesday, topping 5.74m.

Doha’s Qatar Sports Club will host a revised 12-event programme - the fourth and final competitive meeting of the truncated 2020 Wanda Diamond League season - which includes sprint hurdles and 800m for both men and women; 100m, 3000m and long jump for women; and 200m, 400m, 1500m and pole vault for men.

Due to the impact of Covid-19, the 2020 Wanda Diamond League will not form a structured series of events leading to a final and athletes will not earn Diamond League points this season.

Organisers for World Athletics