On September 28, Braz cleared 5.75 meters on his second attempt, which was sufficient to grant him a spot in the final, where he will be vying against 11 other pole vaulters for the win. He also cleared the previous heights 5.45 meters, 5.60 meters and 5.70 meters on his first try.
For this year’s final at the World Championships in Doha, the minimum qualifying standard was 5.75 meters or the 12 best clearances.
This past July, Braz scored a comeback at the IAAF Diamond League in Monaco, where he cleared 5.92 meters.
Braz will be competing alongside such acclaimed pole vaulters as Mondo Duplantis, Sam Kendricks and Piotr Lisek in the final on October 1. World record holder Renaud Lavillenie failed to qualify for the final.
At the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Braz made history pulling an upset (triumphing over Renaud Lavillenie), winning a gold medal in the men’s pole vault and setting an Olympic record with 6.03 meters.
Read More: Olympic gold medalist Thiago Braz chatted with Digital Journal in March of 2019 about his motivations and the impact of technology on the sport of pole vault.
