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There was a TV show on french TV about athletics. They analized the best french athletes: Renaud Lavillenie, Christophe Lematre, Jessica Cerival. They also analized the world record performance on 100 m, high jump, long jump...

The video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRZxlrUqJTY&feature=related
Second part: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8LASQRCRpII&feature=related

The show's name is "C'est pas sorcier, la fin des records?" which translates into something like "It's not rocket science: The end of records?"

Enjoy

I had a good laugh when they explained some scientists predicted, from the performances from the last 100 years, that the absolute world record for pole vault will be 6,19 m, to what Renaud replied
"that is wrong, Bubka could have cleared 6,25m if I look at one of his jumps".

They also explained that nobody could run a 100m faster than 9,72 seconds, and the journalist replied "may be you know somebody has already run in 9,58 seconds ?"
He answered, "yes, but only one guy".

As Pierre Dac said "predictions are difficult to foresee, especially about the future"
:-)

There has been a movie in July about
"Le perchiste Renaud Lavillenie modèle des Chinois"
(polevaulter Renaud Lavillénie model for the chinese)
http://sport.francetv.fr/stade2/?page=r ... rticle=353

In short, the chinese have considered the differents "schools" of polevault, and came to the conclusion that the way Renaud jumps should fit best for their athletes.
So they came 3 weeks in Clermont-Ferrand, training with Renaud and his coach Damien.
Among them, the coach and the chinese and asian champion, Yang Yansheng, who has a personal best of 5,75m
He has only 7 years of pole vault, as he was doing 110 m hurdles before.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yang_Yansheng

I guess you have noticed from his website, that Renaud, back from 3 weeks holiday with no training, cleared "more than 5,60m" (other sources say 5,80m) in a demo in a village where a guy from his training group comes.
You may have noticed, from the website of his training group, that a 20 year old guy has joined, Valentin... Lavillénie, 20 years, and a PB of 5,20m
:-)
http://perchealtitude.over-blog.com/

Renaud Lavillenie says on his website he's moving to 5.20 poles (he used to jump on 5.10 poles until now). Not a breaking news but I know some people here are interested on those little details, like me.
Can't wait to see what that will bring in the forecoming seasons