Thiago Braz da Silva of Brazil won gold with his best attempt reaching 6.03 meters, while Renaud Lavillenie of France won silver with his best of 5.98 meters.
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It was Da Silva’s highest jump ever by 10cm, earning the host country’s second gold of South America’s first Olympics.
World record-holder Renaud Lavillenie of France took the silver medal.
Next came Da Silva’s second attempt – and there was pandemonium as he cleared it. Da Silva is Brazil’s first male athletics gold medal victor since Joaquim Cruz in the 800m in 1984.
Lavillenie pitched everything on a last-gasp vault at 6.08m, but failed and had to be content with silver with a best of 5.98m. Nobody has succeeded in defending the Olympic pole vault title since American Bob Richards in 1956.
Rudisha produced arguably the greatest moment of the London Olympics when he smashed his own 800m world record with a masterful display of front-running.
Rudisha romped to victory in the men’s 800m final, securing his second straight gold medal in the event.
“The crowd were cheering me too much”.
“The public helped me alot, was supporting me and that was really important for me at this time in my home to get a medal”, the champion said. It was incredible and his first time to achieve six meters, he was celebrating with this record, now he was the new star of the Olympic Pole Vault. It’s the Olympics, if there’s no respect in the Olympics, where can we get respect?
Allyson Felix missed out on becoming the first female athlete to win five Olympic gold medals in track and field, with Shaunae Miller diving over the finish line to edge out the reigning champion in the 400m with a time of 49.44.
Da Silva had the night of his life, taking 11 metres off his previous best.
Wlodarczyk’s world record throw of 82.29m came under sunny morning skies and a few minutes later Bahrain’s Ruth Jebet would have beaten the 3,000m steeplechase record as well, had she not eased up in the final metres. “I like that”, he said. I can’t be happy about that.
The highlights of the evening session include the 110m hurdles final and the final of the women’s 1,500m, which four years ago was so ravaged by doping that it has since replaced the 1988 100 metres final as the “Dirtiest Race In History”.
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“I thought, “this is that day”, she said.
