Spotlight is on the pole vault once more as the World Indoor Tour moves on to France, while Jemma Reekie ends her season on a high

The lively Liévin crowd may have been expecting a world pole vault record attempt with Mondo Duplantis in attendance but fans were treated to double the excitement as Sandi Morris also tried to make history on Wednesday evening.

After improving the world record twice in seven days – first to 6.17m in Toruń on February 8 and then to 6.18m in Glasgow a week later – this time, with the competition won thanks to his huge clearance of 6.07m, Duplantis had the bar moved to 6.19m

Ultimately it wasn’t to be as he knocked and then brushed the bar on his first two attempts before a third and final go saw him fall away before he could pass over the top.

But it was another night in which his sport was well in the spotlight, with Morris also attempting to equal the women’s world indoor record of 5.03m at the same time.

Having cleared 4.83m for victory, she had three tries at matching Jenn Suhr’s global indoor mark which had been set in 2016 but she too was unsuccessful on this occasion.

It was still an important moment for them both.

“It was special, it was a really special place to jump tonight,” said Duplantis, who won the men’s competition ahead of two-time world champion Sam Kendricks (5.90m).

“I think it was really cool that us pole vaulters got to show why our event is so special.

“I’ve never got to watch somebody attempt a world record, I only got to live it, I guess. It was really cool to watch her (Morris) attempt that world record, it really got me fired up.

“I know the feeling of it a little bit now and I could see her on the runway and she loves that energy, I love the crowd’s energy. Me and her, I feel like we’re the perfect two people to be jumping side by side together. I hope we can do it more, because that was really fun.”

Morris, who won ahead of Robeilys Peinado’s Venezuelan record of 4.78m, added: “It’s probably something I’ll never get to experience again. I don’t know that it has ever been done before where a man and a woman were making attempts on the world record at the same time. I wish both of us had made it but I guess we’ll save that for another day!”

Another athlete to impress once again as the World Athletics Indoor Tour moved on to France was Britain’s Jemma Reekie as she ended her season on a high with another win.

Following her 1500m victory on home soil in Glasgow and after national indoor 800m, 1500m and mile records in recent weeks, the 21-year-old clocked 2:00.34 for 800m in Liévin to finish clear ahead of world champion Halimah Nakaayi, who ran 2:01.96.

“It was a tough field out there and I was going for the win,” said Reekie, who now closes her indoor season. “I would have liked to have run a bit faster knowing what shape I’m in but I’ll take the win.”

Her coach Andy Young admitted he was impressed. “She looked way too in control, almost too comfortable,” he said. “That’s how to do it, if you can do it that way.”

Having just watched his athlete @JemmaReekie beat world champion Halimah Nakaayi in the Liévin 800m, coach Andy Young talks to @stuartweir about her run this evening, her record-breaking indoor season, championship doubles and more #WorldIndoorTour @scotathletics pic.twitter.com/WAjFHjrGkg

— AW (@AthleticsWeekly) February 19, 2020

Another athlete who looked well in control was the USA’s world indoor bronze medallist Ronnie Baker as he first cruised to a 60m heat win in 6.49 despite easing down and then improved to 6.44 to win the final ahead of Demek Kemp with 6.50.

“Yeah, it’s a good time, but it’s not the world lead!” said Baker. “I’m always trying to be the best and when I’m second, it hurts me. That’s just the fight in me.”

The women’s 60m final was won by Gina Bass as she ran a Gambian record of 7.11 to beat world indoor champion Murielle Ahouré by 0.01. Britain’s Asha Philip was fourth in 7.27 after a 7.25 heat.

The men’s 1500m was won by world indoor champion Samuel Tefera as he clocked a world-leading 3:35.54, while Britain’s Charlie Da’Vall Grice returned to the track for fifth place in 3:38.95 after rolling his ankle in Glasgow and being unable to finish there.

In the men’s 800m, Collins Kipruto claimed victory in 1:46.34 from Cornelius Tuwei’s 1:46.74 following some mid-race drama which saw Adam Kszczot and Marc Reuther involved in a heavy fall, with Eliott Crestan also taking a tumble.

World 3000m steeplechase fourth-placer Getnet Wale held off world 5000m silver medallist Selemon Barega to win the 3000m – a world-leading 7:32.80 to 7:33.19, while world bronze medallist Gudaf Tsegay won the women’s 1500m in 4:00.60 and in the rarely-run indoor 2000m steeplechase Slovenia’s Marusa Mismas achieved a world best of 5:47.79 for victory.

There were big cheers as France’s 2017 world 800m champion Pierre-Ambroise Bosse held on for 1000m victory in 2:19.26 as GB’s fast-finishing Andrew Osagie opened his season by coming through for a close second in 2:19.31 ahead of Evans Kipchumba’s 2:19.42.

Another home win was claimed by Pascal Martinot-Lagarde as he stormed to take the men’s 60m hurdles in 7.47. USA’s Nia Ali narrowly won the women’s race ahead of Christina Clemons as both athletes clocked 7.92.

World triple jump bronze medallist Hugues Fabrice Zango studies in France and he too secured success, leaping 17.51m, while Maryna Bekh-Romanchuk claimed the overall women’s long jump Tour title as she jumped 6.90m.