Kendricks completes perfection

LONDON - American Sam Kendricks capped his unbeaten season by winning the pole vault at the World Athletics Championships on Tuesday as the title once again eluded world-record holder and former Olympic champion Renaud Lavillenie of France.

Kendricks, an officer in the US Army reserve, cleared 5.95 meters while Poland's Piotr Lisek took the silver and Lavillenie had to be content with a fourth world bronze despite producing his best leap of the season.

Lisek, who tied for the bronze medal in Beijing two years ago, and Lavillenie, who won silver in 2013, both cleared 5.89 but the Pole took silver on countback.