This is a story that will bring joyful tears to your eyes, so grab some tissues and get ready to sob: This incredible world-record pole vaulter is an absolutely beautiful example of the amazing things human beings are able to achieve when they use poles.
Just incredible. Here is living proof that once humans get their hands on poles, they can do anything.
French pole vaulter Renaud Lavillenie set the world record for the pole vault at 6.16 meters in August 2016, proving once and for all that sometimes all it takes is heart, determination, and a long, lightweight fiberglass pole to achieve everything you’ve ever dreamed of. Without a pole, Renaud can jump a few feet at most, but when he has a pole to assist him, he is able to fling his body into the air and reach heights that would otherwise be unimaginable for him.
And what did Renaud jump over to break the record? A sideways pole—yet another hollow tube that’s helping him make history and become the accomplished athlete he is today.
Alone, we can go far, but with poles, we can go much farther.
Renaud is not the only person who has used a pole to achieve something astounding. When you stop to look around, there are countless people using poles every day to make their lives and the world a better place: Firefighters sliding down poles at the station, urban planners mounting traffic signs on tall metal poles to build our modern cities, and regular people poking animals with long poles to figure out whether they’re sleeping or dead, to name just a few. Renaud Lavillenie and his phenomenal pole vaulting abilities just serve as a reminder of all the truly inspiring things that humans and poles do together.
Poles FTW!
