KC Lightfoot broke the American record in the men’s pole vault by clearing 6.07 meters at the Music City Track Carnival in Nashville on Friday night.
Lightfoot, 23, broke the record of 6.06 set by Sam Kendricks, the 2017 and 2019 World champion, in 2019. Lightfoot’s best previous clearances were 6.00 meters indoors and 5.87 outdoors.
Lightfoot now ranks fourth on the world all-time list behind Swede Mondo Duplantis (6.22, reigning Olympic and world champ), Frenchman Renaud Lavillenie (6.16 indoors) and Ukrainian Sergey Bubka (6.15 indoors, 6.14 outdoors).
Lightfoot was fourth at the Tokyo Olympics, then missed the 2022 World Championships team after tying for fifth at last year’s USA Track and Field Outdoor Championships.
Lightfoot turned pro in 2021 during his third season at Baylor and before the Tokyo Olympic Trials.
The top three at this July’s USATF Outdoors in Eugene, Oregon, are likely to make up the team for August’s worlds in Budapest.
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Here’s the new American Record in the pole vault…
— Will Boling (@will_boling) June 3, 2023
KC Lightfoot goes 6.07 (19-feet-11) in the Puma American Track League at the Music City Track Carnival. @americantrack pic.twitter.com/mECgIqCyio