Following a high jump competition in Liège, with Nafi Thiam, and discus throwing in Ostend with Philip Milanov, Thomas Van der Plaetsen was the host of the third leg of the AG Urban Memorial Van Damme. The decathlete had plenty of options in Ghent, but opted for pole vaulting on the Kouter.
In a certain way this sunny June day bore resemblance to a medieval muster and joust. The many spectators, both fervent fans of athletics and passers-by, had their eyes peeled on the spectacle. Those who managed to get a spot on the kiosk were rewarded with a good view of the entire square. Fortunately the jousting between pole vaulters was only symbolical and tactical.
SMETS WITH BELGIAN RECORD ATTEMPT
At 13:30 the women's competition kicked off the proceedings with multiple Belgian champion Fanny Smets winning a high-level competition ahead of Aurelie De Ryck and Nel Van Hansewyck. Smets, going into the event with a personal best of 4m40, surpassed 4m26 to win on the day. She also had a go at 4m42, one centimetre higher than the current Belgian record of Chloé Henry, but didn't manage to pull that off. De Ryck (4m06) was second. Van Hansewyck finished in third with 4m01, improving on her personal record by a whopping 11 centimetres.
VAN DER PLAETSEN CLOSE TO PB
At 16:00 the international men's competition started on the Kouter, featuring five pure pole vault specialists: Belgians Ben Broeders and Arnaud Art, Dutchman Koen Van der Wijst, Russia's Ilya Mudrov and German Marvin Caspari. And one decathlete who revels in pole vaulting: local hero Thomas Van der Plaetsen!
The crowd favourite duly delivered in Ghent as Van der Plaetsen cleared 5m00, 5m20, 5m30 and 5m40, every time at his second attempt. With 5m40 the Belgian came to within one centimetre of his personal best. The only other athlete to clear 5m40 was his compatriot Arnaud Art from Liège, who took a net lead by virtue of needing fewer attempts.
RECORD ATTEMPT FOR ART
In a tactical finale Art chose not to bother with 5m50. Van der Plaetsen did, but couldn't clear a height nine centimetres beyond his personal best. Art, with a PB of 5m65, knew victory was his and entertained the crowd by aiming for 5m60. At his third and final attempt Art cleared the bar, much to the delight of the spectators on the Kouter.
Art then proceeded to 5m72, 2 cm beyond the Belgian record shared by Thibaut Duval and Kevin Rans. At his first attempt the 24-year-old came close, but ultimately didn't manage to pull off a major stunt. Regardless, the reigning Belgian champion was a deserved winner in Ghent.
On the podium Art was joined by Van der Plaetsen and Germany's Marvin Casparini, who came third with a jump over 5m30. Dutchman Koen Van der Wijst was fourth. Belgian Ben Broeders was an unfortunate fifth as his bar came down at 5m40 after five long seconds of teetering on the brink. Russian Ilya Mudrov had an off-day and didn't clear the opening height of 5m30.
KIDS ATHLETICS & AG SPRINT EXPERIENCE
On Saturday afternoon The Kouter was the coolest 'athletics arena' of Belgium. Thanks to the guidance of athletics coaches from KRC Ghent and KAA Ghent children under 12 were given a taste of several track and field disciplines.
In addition to the Kids Athletics, grown ups were invited too. As the title partner of the AG Memorial Van Damme and the Urban memorials, AG Insurance organises the AG Sprint Experience at every Urban event: 50 metres of running on a specially constructed AG track. The nine fastest men and women will be given the chance to become the fastest man or woman in Belgium at the actual Memorial on 1 September.
In July and August the AG Urban Memorial Series moves to Antwerp and Brussels:
- Saturday 8 July: Groenplaats, Antwerp, long jump women, including Nafi Thiam
- Saturday 26 August: Brussels, 100m men and women, including Anne Zagré
- Thursday 31 August: Place de la Monnaie, Brussels, shot put men, IAAF Diamond League final
On Friday 1 September the King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels will host the 41st AG Memorial Van Damme, the grand finale of the IAAF Diamond League.
