This year’s Lausanne Diamond League will once again give pole vaulting its own venue away from the main stadium.
Each Diamond League host provides its own unique selling point, and for many, especially those in continental Europe, the biggest is street matches.
If you watch the major leagues, you’ll see that all the action takes place in the stadium, but some Diamond League matches offer more intimate viewing opportunities for fans outside the main arena.
Street matches allow spectators to get up close and personal with the athletes, which is especially important for field events, as they can sometimes feel distant in a huge stadium.
Pole vaulting is one of the best examples of an event that works brilliantly on the streets, with spectators lining the sides of the runway and around the pit to witness some of the world’s best take to the skies.
The Lausanne Diamond League is one of the most picturesque venues and takes place on the Place de Navigation on the shores of Lake Geneva (August 21).
Lausanne’s Pole Vault Street Meet (Getty)
This year’s lineup is headlined by two-time Olympic champion and world record holder Mondo Duplantis, who won his second gold in Paris with a new best of 6.25m.
He absolutely loves it in Lausanne and cleared 6.07m and 6.10m in the Swiss city.
Sam Kendricks and Emmanuel Karalis, who won silver and bronze respectively after Duplantis in Paris, will compete.
London 2012 Olympic champion Renaud Lavillenie, still going strong at 37, is also out to compete.
Ahead of the Lausanne Diamond League, here are some of the best shots from the pole vaulting street to come across over the years.
Luke Cutts at the 2013 Great Northern City Games (Newcastle)
Luke Cutts (Mark Shearman)
Renaud Lavillene at the Sainsbury’s Jubilee Games 2014 (London)
Reno Lavillenie (Mark Shearman)
Yarisley Silva at the 2015 Big City Games (Manchester)
Yarisley Silva (Mark Shearman)
Romana Malakova at the European Games in 2015 (Baku)
Romana Malakova (Geti)
2018 General Pole Vaulter Shot at Diamond League Train Station (Zurich)
Pole vaulting at the Zurich Diamond League (Mark Shearman)
Pont d’Arcole Pole Vault Shootout, an event to celebrate the 2018 Olympic Games (Paris)
Pole vaulting in Paris (Getty)
General pole vault shot Rhein-Ruhr Street Meeting 2023 (Düsseldorf)
Rhine-Ruhr Pole Vault Meeting (River)
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