<p class="title">France's Renaud Lavillenie displayed all his experience to bag a "crazy" third world indoor pole vault title on Sunday even as Briton Andrew Pozzi hailed the late Roger Bannister as the inspiration behind his hurdles triumph.</p>.<p class="bodytext">In a bold show of confidence, the Frenchman came into the competition at 5.70 metres -- which six of the 15-strong field failed to make -- passed at 5.80 and went clear at 5.85 and 5.90 after one failure at the latter.</p>.<p class="bodytext">With no fewer than nine men owning season's bests of 5.88m or better, the pressure was on at the business end of a gripping vaulting display.</p>.<p class="bodytext">American Sam Hendricks (5.85) eventually took silver from Poland's Piotr Lisek on countback as a host of rivals fell by the wayside.</p>.<p class="bodytext">But world record holder Lavillenie was left punching the air in triumph as he cleared 5.90 for a title to add to his previous wins in 2016 and 2012.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"I'm very, very happy. The competition was a real battle," said the 31-year-old who won Olympic gold in 2012 and silver in 2016. "The competition was very long and very intense as you can see with seven athletes trying to jump 5.90m.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"To be able to secure one more gold medal in the World Championships is a crazy feeling."</p>.<p class="bodytext">Fittingly, on the day Bannister died aged 88, British team captain Pozzi said his victory in the 60m hurdles had been inspired by the first man to run a mile in under four minutes.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"Roger Bannister was an unbelievable athlete and unbelievable person," said Pozzi, whose winning 7.46sec edged American Jarret Eaton into silver.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Two defending track champions stepped up to win successive titles, but there was no luck for Brittney Reese, the American bidding for a fourth world indoor long jump title who was pushed into silver by Serbian Ivana Spanovic. Spanovic went out to 6.96m on her fourth jump to beat Reese by 7cm.</p>.<p class="bodytext">In a slow tactical race, Ethiopia's Yomif Kejelcha produced a devastating last-lap spurt to defend his 3000m title with some ease, the 20-year-old crossing the line in 8:14.41 ahead of teenage teammate Selemon Barega.</p>.<p class="bodytext">There was no holding back in the women's 800m as Burundi's Francine Niyonsaba also successfully defended her title in 1:58.31, the fastest time run over the distance this season.</p>.<p class="bodytext">There was more Ethiopian glory as Samuel Tefera, just 18, hared home to win the men's 1500m in 3:58.19.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Courtney Okolo won a second gold of the world indoors as she anchored the US women's team to victory in the 4x400m relay in a new championship record of 3:23.85 ahead of Poland and Britain.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The men's relay went the way of Poland, Jakub Krzewina anchoring a team comprising Karol Zalewski, Rafal Omelko and Lukasz Krawczuk to a world indoor record of 3:01.77, smashing the previous best set by the USA in Sopot in 2014.</p>
<p class="title">France's Renaud Lavillenie displayed all his experience to bag a "crazy" third world indoor pole vault title on Sunday even as Briton Andrew Pozzi hailed the late Roger Bannister as the inspiration behind his hurdles triumph.</p>.<p class="bodytext">In a bold show of confidence, the Frenchman came into the competition at 5.70 metres -- which six of the 15-strong field failed to make -- passed at 5.80 and went clear at 5.85 and 5.90 after one failure at the latter.</p>.<p class="bodytext">With no fewer than nine men owning season's bests of 5.88m or better, the pressure was on at the business end of a gripping vaulting display.</p>.<p class="bodytext">American Sam Hendricks (5.85) eventually took silver from Poland's Piotr Lisek on countback as a host of rivals fell by the wayside.</p>.<p class="bodytext">But world record holder Lavillenie was left punching the air in triumph as he cleared 5.90 for a title to add to his previous wins in 2016 and 2012.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"I'm very, very happy. The competition was a real battle," said the 31-year-old who won Olympic gold in 2012 and silver in 2016. "The competition was very long and very intense as you can see with seven athletes trying to jump 5.90m.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"To be able to secure one more gold medal in the World Championships is a crazy feeling."</p>.<p class="bodytext">Fittingly, on the day Bannister died aged 88, British team captain Pozzi said his victory in the 60m hurdles had been inspired by the first man to run a mile in under four minutes.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"Roger Bannister was an unbelievable athlete and unbelievable person," said Pozzi, whose winning 7.46sec edged American Jarret Eaton into silver.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Two defending track champions stepped up to win successive titles, but there was no luck for Brittney Reese, the American bidding for a fourth world indoor long jump title who was pushed into silver by Serbian Ivana Spanovic. Spanovic went out to 6.96m on her fourth jump to beat Reese by 7cm.</p>.<p class="bodytext">In a slow tactical race, Ethiopia's Yomif Kejelcha produced a devastating last-lap spurt to defend his 3000m title with some ease, the 20-year-old crossing the line in 8:14.41 ahead of teenage teammate Selemon Barega.</p>.<p class="bodytext">There was no holding back in the women's 800m as Burundi's Francine Niyonsaba also successfully defended her title in 1:58.31, the fastest time run over the distance this season.</p>.<p class="bodytext">There was more Ethiopian glory as Samuel Tefera, just 18, hared home to win the men's 1500m in 3:58.19.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Courtney Okolo won a second gold of the world indoors as she anchored the US women's team to victory in the 4x400m relay in a new championship record of 3:23.85 ahead of Poland and Britain.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The men's relay went the way of Poland, Jakub Krzewina anchoring a team comprising Karol Zalewski, Rafal Omelko and Lukasz Krawczuk to a world indoor record of 3:01.77, smashing the previous best set by the USA in Sopot in 2014.</p>