Sports

Review: Sam Kendricks’ impressive pole vault journey in 2018 (Includes first-hand account)

Published

September 24, 2018

In 2017, Kendricks was the men’s pole vault world champion, winning the gold medal in London, and he was undefeated in all 17 competitions that he competed in the year.

Early on in 2018, Kendricks was tied with Frenchman Renaud Lavillenie as the world leader in the indoor pole vault with 5.93 meters. At the 2018 World Indoor Championships in Birmingham, Kendricks took home the silver medal for Team USA behind Lavillenie, who is the world record holder in the sport.

Sam Kendricks

Erik van Leeuwen, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

On June 23, 2018, Kendricks won his fifth consecutive USA Track and Field championship in the men’s pole vault.

In the summer outdoor season, Kendricks won five IAAF Diamond League competitions in Eugene, Oregon, (The Prefontaine Classic), Rome, Paris, Rabat and London.

Sam Kendricks

Photo Courtesy of Daniel Mitchell

Kendricks’ outdoor season best was 5.96 meters, where he was the world leader for a time being before Swedish pole vaulter Mondo Duplantis cleared 6.05 meters at the 2018 European Championships in Berlin.

In the final IAAF Diamond League meeting, in Brussels, Kendricks finished in second place behind Russian pole vaulter Timur Morgunov.

Sam Kendricks

Photo Courtesy of Daniel Mitchell

Kendricks ended the 2018 pole vault season strong winning the 2018 IAAF Continental Cup on September 9, which was held in Ostrava, Czech Republic.

In this article:American, pole vault, Sam Kendricks

Written By Markos Papadatos

Markos Papadatos is Digital Journal's Editor-at-Large for Music News. Papadatos is a Greek-American journalist and educator that has authored over 22,000 original articles over the past 18 years. He has interviewed some of the biggest names in music, entertainment, lifestyle, magic, and sports. He is a 16-time "Best of Long Island" winner, where for three consecutive years (2020, 2021, and 2022), he was honored as the "Best Long Island Personality" in Arts & Entertainment, an honor that has gone to Billy Joel six times.