| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | Latvian |
| Born | (1986-08-05)5 August 1986 (age 39) |
| Height | 1.89 m (6 ft 2 in) |
| Weight | 78 kg (172 lb) |
| Sport | |
| Country |  Latvia |
| Sport | Track and field |
Event | Pole vault |
| Coached by | Igors Izotovs, Marita Ārente, Maigonis Pūliņš |
| Achievements and titles | |
| Personalbest | 5.70 m (2016) |
Mareks Ārents (born 6 August 1986) is aLatvian former track and field athlete who specialised in thepole vault. He won the Latvian outdoor national championship 12 times and the national indoor title nine times. He represented Latvia at multiple major championships, including the2012 and2016 Olympic Games. He later acted as coach to his compatriot, and 2024 Olympian,Valters Kreišs.[1]
He qualified for2012 Summer Olympics inLondon, but did not reach the final, making a best jump of 5.35 metres.[2][3][4]
At the2013 European Indoor Championships inGothenburg, Sweden, he jumped 5.50 m, ranking him in 11th place, missing the final by 10 cm.[5] He went on to compete at the2013 World Athletics Championships in Moscow, but his 5.25 best clearance did not qualify him for the final.[6]
He competed at the2015 World Championships inBeijing, China where he cleared 5.55 metres.[7]
He cleared 5.50 metres to place sixth overall at the2016 European Athletics Championships inAmsterdam, Netherlands, on countback, despite having cleared the same height as the bronze medal winnerRobert Renner of Slovenia.[8] He subsequently competed the2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro where he cleared 5.45 metres but did not progress to the final.[9]
He placed joint-eighth overall at the2017 European Indoor Championships in Belgrade, Serbia with a best height of 5.60 metres.[10]
After the conclusion of his athletics career he coached his younger compatriotValters Kreišs who made his debut at the Olympics at the2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.[11]
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Representing Latvia | ||||
| 2012 | Olympic Games | London, United Kingdom | 22nd (q) | 5.35 m |
| 2013 | European Indoor Championships | Gothenburg, Sweden | 11th (q) | 5.50 m |
| Universiade | Kazan, Russia | 8th | 5.30 m | |
| World Championships | Moscow, Russia | 33rd (q) | 5.25 m | |
| 2014 | European Championships | Zürich, Switzerland | – | NM |
| 2015 | European Indoor Championships | Prague, Czech Republic | 11th (q) | 5.60 m |
| World Championships | Beijing, China | 25th (q) | 5.55 m | |
| 2016 | European Championships | Amsterdam, Netherlands | 6th | 5.50 m |
| Olympic Games | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | 16th (q) | 5.45 m | |
| 2017 | European Indoor Championships | Belgrade, Serbia | 8th | 5.60 m |
| 2018 | European Championships | Berlin, Germany | 22nd (q) | 5.36 m |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
