French pole vaulter Anthony Ammirati at the European U20 Championships in Tallinn (© Getty Images)
Over the years the World Athletics U20 Championships has served as a launching pad for greatness for some of the world’s best talents. The likes of Valerie Adams, Veronica Campbell-Brown, Usain Bolt, David Rudisha and Mondo Duplantis have gone on to become world and Olympic champions, using the World U20 Championships as a stepping stone. Going by his successes this season, French pole vaulter Anthony Ammirati believes he’s on the path to replicating the same at senior level.
Last year, the 18-year-old’s confidence was at an all-time low because of an injury-plagued season. However, his career now enjoys a new lease of life, and he attributes some of that success to European indoor silver medallist Valentin Lavillenie’s poles.
“I have improved a lot this year," says Ammirati. "I specifically want to thank Valentin Lavillenie who has lent me his poles, so thanks to his poles I’ve been able to jump higher. I’m getting closer and closer to the six-metre barrier which is a mythical height for pole vaulters but I’m going to take it one step at a time and see how it goes.
“Last year was a very difficult year. I had many injuries especially in my back due to my jumping technique, so 2021 is a bit of a revenge because I managed to conquer the injuries and set personal bests, national records, win the European U20 Championships, why not the World U20 Championships?”
The French talent comes to the World U20 Championships in Nairobi as the favourite for gold after winning the European U20 title last month in Tallinn with the third best jump of his career, a mark of 5.64m. He’s had a phenomenal season that saw him break the French U20 record while competing in Salon-de-Provence in June. His personal best of 5.72m is a world U20 lead.
“Breaking the national record was the factor that changed the season and showed I was capable of achieving great things this season," he says.
Although Ammirati knows he’s the man to beat in Nairobi, he’s chosen not to get overconfident ahead of the men’s pole vault final on Thursday (19). “Of course, the European Championships has boosted my confidence, but I don’t feel overconfident because I feel some of the athletes at the European Championships didn’t perform at their peak, so they may be peaking this time around," he says. "In a world championships anything can happen, so I’ll rather not over boost my confidence and see what happens because especially in the pole vault, anything can happen.”
One can understand why Ammirati is not allowing himself to get overconfident. The men’s pole vault final in Nairobi is going to reignite the rivalry from the European U20 Championships as the French vaulter is joined by the silver and bronze medallists from Tallinn, Matvei Volkov of Belarus and Ukrainian Oleksandr Onufriyev. Also joining them is South Africa’s Kyle Rademeyer, who sits third on the entry list in Nairobi with his season’s best of 5.53m, so the competition is set to be a strong one.
“I’m expecting the competition to be very fierce,” says Ammirati. “A lot of the athletes here were at the European U20 Championships and a couple more, so I expect it to be a very close battle here.”
Nevertheless, the teenager is expecting to put up a good show. “I feel good and it’s a good stadium so I’m expecting a good competition," he adds. "I’ve been preparing for this competition for a year now. Since a long time ago I’ve been wanting to take part in the World Championships. My main target is to have a good competition in terms of the height I jump. I will also want to break my French record."
Ammirati is still going to be a junior when the 2022 World U20 Championships is held in Cali and he’s already hoping to make history there. “Yes of course I’m already thinking about Cali because I’ll still be a junior and I definitely want to try be the first to win two titles in the pole vault at the World U20 Championships, but first and foremost I have to jump here, jump well and do well here and after this I will immediately aim to do well in Cali,” he says.
The European U20 gold medallist has been vaulting for five years now and was introduced to track and field by his older sister whom he’s very fond of. His family and coach have played a huge role in his success story, and he believes they’re already proud at how far he’s come.
Recalling his humble beginnings in the sport, he said: “My older sister used to be a hurdler so I would accompany her to the track and then there was this girl at my club who was pole vaulting and I thought: ‘That’s cool, that’s fun’, so I started pole vaulting at the age of 13 and then my coach Gerard Vialette, who is a highly regarded coach, guided me all the way to where I am right now.
“I would like to thank my parents who have always supported me and my big sister whom I love very much and want to send big kisses to. They have always taken me to training, competitions and would put the pole on the car and drive me to regional and national competitions. Of course, I would love to make them proud although I believe they are already proud of the things I have achieved, but obviously winning here will be a nice bonus.”
The Lavillenie brothers, especially former world record-holder in the pole vault, Renaud, are among France’s biggest stars, and their careers have no doubt shaped Ammirati’s aspirations. As he begins his ascent in the men’s pole vault event, he’s looking forward to the day he can share the stage with some of the world’s best.
“They (the Lavillenie brothers) are iconic especially Renaud, not just in regard to the pole vault but athletics in general," he says. "We obviously look up to them. The ambition is to have a career that can resemble theirs someday.
“There’s definitely a lot of camaraderie among the men’s pole vaulters. It reminds me of feeling like being part of a family, a bit like the decathletes do and they spend a lot of time on the track together, they support one another. They also communicate a lot via social media so they actually have a very good relationship. I am looking forward to rising through the ranks into the senior scene and sharing the stage with other pole vaulters. I’m going to be in awe of most of them, but I can’t wait to see how my future will shape up”.
Ammirati enjoyed watching the Tokyo Olympics and identifies Mutaz Barshim and Gianmarco Tamberi winning gold in the high jump as his favourite moment of the Games. With his country France set to host the next edition of the Olympics in Paris, his gaze is already set on winning the biggest prize on home soil. He says: “Ultimately, I will want to be an Olympic champion, and why not in Paris?”
Yemi Olus for World Athletics
