One of the longest-standing world records in sport was broken at the weekend, when Renaud Lavillenie of France broke Sergei Bubka's pole vault world record, which had stood since 22 February 1993.
The 6.16m attempt will be considered the overall world record, and was set in Bubka's hometown of Donetsk, in the same arena and at the same indoor meet where the Ukrainian set his iconic 6.15 21 years ago.
Bubka was in attendance to see his record broken. Looking like a younger Trapattoni, with similar tailoring, hair, expressions and gestures, he applauded graciously when Lavillenie cleared the bar. The pair then met trackside and exchanged pleasantries.
Lavillenie (27) was a picture of tension before he set off down the runway, but on completion of the jump he tore off ecstatically with his hands on his head.
He is also the current Olympic champion, setting a games record of 5.97 in the final. His previous personal best of 6.08 had been the second-best successful jump of all time.
Bubka remains a national hero in Ukraine. He still holds an altitude assisted outdoor best of 6.14, set in Sestriere, Italy in 1994. Today he is a key member of the IOC. In 2013 he lost out to Thomas Bach in the race for president of the organisation.
