This year’s Lausanne Diamond League will once again give the pole vault its own slot and it will be held away from the main stadium
Every host on the Diamond League circuit provides its own unique selling point and for quite a few – especially those in continental Europe – it’s street meets.
Most of the action takes place in the stadium but, unlike the major championships, Diamond League meets provide opportunities for fans to get a more intimate feel for the action.
Street meets allow spectators to get up close and personal with the athletes, which is especially important for field events as they can feel distant in stadia at times.
The pole vault is one of the most exciting examples of street meets working well, with spectators lining the sides of the runway and around the pit to witness some of the best in the world launching themselves into the sky.
The Lausanne Diamond League is one of the most picturesque settings and takes place on the Place de la Navigation on the shores of Lake Geneva (August 21).
Lausanne’s pole vault street meet (Getty)
This year’s line-up is headlined by double Olympic champion and world record-holder Mondo Duplantis, who claimed his second gold in Paris with a new best mark of 6.25m.
He absolutely loves it in Lausanne and has cleared both 6.07m and 6.10m in the Swiss city.
Sam Kendricks and Emmanouil Karalis, who claimed silver and bronze respectively behind Duplantis in Paris, will also take part.
Olympic champion from London 2012 Renaud Lavillenie, who is still going strong at 37, is also down to compete.
Ahead of the Lausanne Diamond League, here are some of the most picturesque shots from pole vault street meets down the years.
Luke Cutts at the Great North City Games in 2013 (Newcastle)
Luke Cutts (Mark Shearman)
Renaud Lavillenie at the Sainsbury’s Anniversary Games in 2014 (London)
Renaud Lavillenie (Mark Shearman)
Yarisley Silva at the Great City Games in 2015 (Manchester)
Yarisley Silva (Mark Shearman)
Romana Malacova at the European Games in 2015 (Baku)
Romana Malacova (Getty)
General pole vault shot in train station at the Diamond League in 2018 (Zurich)
Pole vault at Zurich Diamond League (Mark Shearman)
A general pole vault shot of Pont d’Arcole – an event to celebrate the Olympics in 2018 (Paris)
Pole vault in Paris (Getty)
General pole vault shot of the Rhein-Ruhr street meet in 2023 (Dusseldorf)
Rhein-Ruhr pole vault meet (Getty)
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