Renaud Lavillenie breaks Sergey Bubka pole vault record

Renaud Lavillenie has broken Sergey Bubka's pole vault world record, which had stood for 21 years, and achieved the feat in the Ukrainian legend's hometown of Donetsk.

Frenchman Lavillenie, who won Olympic gold at London 2012, reached the landmark with a leap of 6.16m at the first attempt.

The 27-year-old told BFM TV: "I will need time to get back down on earth. It was a mythical record.

"I did not know what was happening to me. The sound was crazy. These are huge emotions. I am in a new dimension."

In pole vault, world records achieved indoors or outdoors are universally accepted as the landmark.

Bubka, who broke the world mark 35 times in an illustrious athletics career, was in Donetsk to witness the record and went on to the track afterwards to congratulate the Frenchman.