Matthias Orban in the pole vault at the IAAF World U18 Championships Nairobi 2017 (© Getty Images)
Matthias Orban of France lived up to expectations on Sunday (16) by dominating the boys' pole vault final on the last day of the IAAF World U18 Championships Nairobi 2017.
Having entered the competition with a 5.12m personal best, Orban was the only athlete in the field to clear 5.00m, which was more than enough to clinch the title.
“It was a good experience and atmosphere that made the competition interesting,” Orban said.
“The crowds were fantastic and the cheering kept pushing me to do better.”
Christos Tamanis of Cyprus added five centimetres to his personal best to secure the silver medal with a 4.85m performance.
Matching his career record, Illya Kravchenko of Ukraine made it over at 4.70m, edging out Germany's Daniel Breinl on countback to scoop bronze.
In perhaps the biggest surprise of the competition, South Africa's Valco van Wyk settled for fifth position with 4.55m, which was 45 centimetres short of his personal best.
Wesley Botton for the IAAF
