On the poster announcing the event this Saturday, June 15 (at Le Bourget, in Seine-Saint-Denis, from 10 a.m.), Renaud Lavillenie rises into the sky with two Ariane rockets in the background. It’s a photomontage, while waiting for the real photos, because the Air and Space Museum will host a sports meeting approved by the French Athletics Federation and nicely titled “The pole to the stars”. This will be one of the last opportunities for the Clermontois to achieve the qualifying minimums for the Games (5.82 m).
At 37, “Air Lavillenie”, his nickname, hopes to participate in his fourth Olympics after gold in London (2012), frustrating silver in Rio (2016) and an anonymous 8th place in Tokyo (2021). Operated on a partial rupture of a tendon in his left thigh in September, the former world record holder (6.16 m ten years ago) remains passionate about his discipline, not hesitating to venture into unexpected sites like the Eiffel Tower, the Place du Capitole in Toulouse or quite simply the garden of his house, in Auvergne.
The JDD. Why did you agree to go to the Air and Space Museum?
Renaud Lavillenie. I know the team working on the organization of this project very well. When they asked me to see if I might be interested, I especially saw the date, which was super interesting in my preparation calendar [pour les JO, NDLR]. Jumping to Le Bourget obviously adds a nice dimension. The particularity of our discipline is that it is capable of leaving an athletics stadium without any difficulty and offering remarkable things.
Among the unusual places you have already jumped, which one left the biggest impression on you?
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One of the most beautiful places was the Trocadéro, in front of the Eiffel Tower [en juin 2014], a few months after my world record. It was pretty incredible. What wasn’t so cool was that it rained and we didn’t get the images we were hoping for. I also jumped in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin [août 2011]at the top of the puy de Dôme [juillet 2012]in a shopping center in the United States [à Des Moines, en avril 2013]…
There have been plenty of places. But if I had to pick one, it would be the Eiffel Tower. Plus, in this Olympic year, it makes sense. I really keep strong images of it.
When rising into the air, does the pole vaulter take advantage of the landscape?
We appreciate the setting afterwards. Our discipline is so demanding, and seemingly dangerous, that if we start looking at what is around us, we are headed for disaster. We concentrate on the familiar environment: the jump, the posts, the track. I also remember jumping on the beach in Reunion Island, right next to the ocean. I savored it afterwards.
Do you still have the saltire in your garden near Clermont-Ferrand?
Ah yes, my necklace is still functional! It’s not from yesterday. I installed it in May 2012. I maintain it. I sometimes use it for training sessions or just for fun with my children.
“I already jumped with a motorcycle suit, in my garden, to combine my two passions”
You are passionate about motorcycles. Have you jumped on a circuit?
On a circuit, no. But I have already jumped with a motorcycle suit, in my garden, to combine my two passions. There was no performance objective. It was a bit anecdotal, just to say that I had managed to jump with the boots and the wetsuit. It was quite rock’n’roll (laughs).
Is jumping into new places also a way of introducing people to your discipline?
The first objective remains performance. We’re not fairground animals, we’re not at the circus. If we take the case of the meeting which will take place at Le Bourget, there are specifications to be respected so that the performances are validated. The other objective is to raise awareness of athletics. It’s not a sport that brings thousands of people to stadiums. When we jumped at Place du Capitole [à Toulouse, en septembre 2022], there were 5,000 people! We might not have had 5,000 people in a normal stadium.
What is your opinion of the Stade de France, which will host the athletics events during the Games?
The Stade de France is not the place where we feel most comfortable because it is a large stadium, very impressive, which does not reflect our daily lives. For us, our daily lives are stadiums, in quotes, on a human scale. Afterwards, when you are a high-level athlete, you must be able to adapt to all conditions and quickly get your bearings*.
*The Frenchman notably won at the Stade de France during the Paris meeting in 2016 (5.93 m).
