Renaud Lavillenie, the 2014 World Athlete of the Year and pole vault world record-holder, will compete at the ISTAF Indoor meeting on 14 February.

The Olympic champion and three-time European champion will be cheered on by none other than former world record-holder Sergey Bubka. The last time Bubka watched Lavillenie compete indoors, the Frenchman ended up breaking his world record with his 6.16m clearance in Donetsk.

“We are very pleased with the commitment of Renaud Lavillenie,” said meeting director Martin Seeber. “Cooperation with Sergey Bubka will also help us in conversations with other world-class pole vaulters. Of course, it also remains our goal for the best Germans to compete against the best athletes from around the world.”

Lavillenie has only competed in Berlin once before, and that was at the 2009 IAAF World Championships, where he took the bronze medal.

Other events set to feature in Berlin include the 60m, 60m hurdles, shot put and long jump, but one of the highlights will be the discus, rarely staged indoors and with hopes high that the world indoor best could be broken.

MORE ABOUT RENAUD LAVILLENIE:

Renaud Lavillenie (was born 18 September 1986) is a French pole vaulter. He is the current world-record holder, with a height of 6.16 metres (20 ft 2 1⁄2 in) set indoors on 15 February 2014.

Lavillenie won the gold medal at the 2012 Olympics. Apart from his Olympic victory, he has won one World Indoor Championships gold medal, three European Championships gold medals and three European Indoor Championships gold medals. He has also won one silver medal and two bronze medals at the World Championships.  As of 15 February 2014, he holds the French national records for the highest pole vault clearance both outdoors (6.02 m) and indoors (6.16 m). He has been the pole vault overall winner of the IAAF Diamond League in four consecutive years, from 2010 to 2013.

Outside pole vaulting, Lavillenie is a keen motorcyclist, and raced in the 2013 edition of the Le Mans 24 Hours for motorcycles, finishing 25th. Lavillenie subsequently entered the 2014 race, aiming for a top 20 finish.

Lavillenie’s younger brother Valentin Lavillenie is also a pole vaulter.