© Stade de France ®
Macary, Zublena et Regembal
Costantini - Architects
ADAGP - Paris - 2002
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COMPETITION  PORTRAITS |
 MESNIL: THE GOLDEN BOY OF FRENCH POLE VAULTING
Paris 2003 Saint-Denis
The French n°1 leapt to the top of the world rankings with a clearance at 5.95 m at the Castres meeting on 6 August. On a high all season long, Mesnil is one of the favourites for pole vault gold in Paris Saint-Denis.
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| Vandystadt |
Four years in the making
Romain Mesnil has been French pole vaulting’s “next best thing” ever since he won gold at the European Junior Championship in 1999. With his obvious talent, good looks and cool demeanour he has inevitably been touted as the natural successor to Jean Galfione. Yet four years have come and gone since that junior title, and Romain has failed to transform his promise into victory at the highest level. True, the boy from Albi in the south-west of France did take bronze at the World Indoors in 2001 and earn a creditable 5th spot in Edmonton a few months later, but those are rare highlights in a series of disappointing performances at major championships: witness his failure to make the final in the World Championships in Seville in 1999, the Sydney Olympics and last year’s European Championships in Munich.
2003: lift-off
Having harboured high hopes for so long, there were those in the French team who were beginning to question Mesnil’s temperament, but the French n°1 has answered those doubters in the best possible fashion this season.
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A leap of 5.75m at the European Cup in Florence helped the French team to gold and restored the golden boy’s somewhat tarnished image. Now coached by Georges Martin, he has regularly cleared 5.80m since, equalling his PB and heading the world rankings for a while with a 5.93m vault in Rome. When European champion Alexander Averbukh upped that mark, Mesnil responded with his gutsy clearance at 5.95 m in Castres. The signs for Paris Saint-Denis could hardly be more encouraging then; Mesnil not only set a new PB and best performance in the world this year in Castres, he also registered the third highest clearance in French pole vaulting history, behind… Jean Galfione.
France dreams of a first world pole vault title
Olympic champion in Atlanta, Galfione has unfortunately had to pull out of the competition in the Stade de France® on Tuesday 26 August, leaving Mesnil as the sole French medal hope. But the way he’s been performing so far this season, there is no reason why he should not aim for gold. “Before thinking about the final, you have to qualify”, he reasons on his web site.
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“And that’s never easy. Once I’m in the final and facing a bar at 5.90 m, I won’t be too concerned. I’ve cleared it twice already this year, so it will be easier for me to go for it, both from a psychological and physical perspective. One thing’s for sure though, to win you have to be at your best on the day.”
Romain Mesnil was a gymnast for 10 years, and retains many of the acrobatic qualities he will need if he is to outleap the likes of Hartwig, Hysong, Markov and the rest. And should he clinch gold, he will become the first French world pole vault champion ever. Thierry Vigneron came close in Rome in 1987 (silver) and Jean Galfione too in 1995 in Gothenburg (bronze), so will Romain make it a full set?
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