US pole vaulter KC Lightfoot (© Getty Images)
USA’s KC Lightfoot cleared 6.07m to break the North American pole vault record at the Music City Track Carnival, a World Athletics Continental Tour Silver event, in Nashville, USA, on Friday (2).
Lightfoot, the 2021 NCAA champion who finished fourth at the Tokyo Olympic Games, had soared over six metres once before, clearing 6.00m in Lubbock in 2021.
But in Nashville he achieved it twice and added seven centimetres to his previous best to improve the area record of 6.06m that had been set by two-time world champion Sam Kendricks in 2019.
Outdoors, only Sweden’s world record-holder Mondo Duplantis and Ukrainian pole vault great Sergey Bubka have ever cleared higher bars than Lightfoot's 6.07m.
Lightfoot opened his competition with a first-time clearance at 5.50m before passing at 5.60m and then clearing 5.70m and 5.80m, also on his first attempts. He needed two tries at 5.92m but soared over six metres at the first time of asking, before having the bar raised to 6.07m.
The 23-year-old had the competition won at 5.80m, with Cole Walsh finishing second with his 5.70m vault.
So all eyes were on Lightfoot and he managed the area record height on his second attempt, setting a world lead in the process as the first athlete to clear six metres this season.
Also in Nashville on Friday, Bridget Williams won the women’s pole vault with a 4.70m clearance.
