TRACK & FIELD
The familiar site of Mondo Duplantis celebrating another six-metre clearance
Raising the Bar
Athletics pundits and commentators have run out of words to describe just how good Swedish pole vaulter Mondo Duplantis is , as he continues to dominate the men ’ s event , collect global titles and push the bar ever higher . In August he broke his own World Record twice , and seems intent on going still higher . – BY SEAN FALCONER with WORLD ATHLETICS
One of the highlights of the recent Olympic Games in Paris was watching Swedish phenomenon Armand ‘ Mondo ’ Duplantis soar to a new World Record of 6.25 metres in the men ’ s pole vault after comfortably winning his second Olympic gold medal . With no other jumpers able to match the 24-year-old defending Olympic champion at six metres , he then asked the officials to raise the bar to 6.10m , which would add 7cm to the Olympic Record . Having cleared that on his first try , he decided he wasn ’ t done yet , and had the bar moved up to 6.25m – one centimetre higher than his own World Record , set in Xiamen , China in April this year .
After failing with his first two attempts , Duplantis consulted with his coaching team , including his father , watched a recording of his two failed jumps , and then asked the officials to adjust the depth of the vertical posts holding the bar , and that did the trick . He flew over the bar to make history yet again . Not only was it Duplantis ’ ninth World Record since 2020 , when he set a first world leading mark of 6.17m , but it was also his 86th time of clearing six metres or higher – more than any other jumper in the history of the event .
With this latest victory , the Swede becomes only the second man to secure two pole vault golds at the Olympics , following the double achieved by USA ’ s Bob Richards in 1952 and 1956 . Duplantis has also won every global men ’ s pole vault title since claiming his first Olympic crown in Tokyo three years ago , including two Olympic titles ( 2021 and 2024 ), two World Championship titles ( 2022 and 2023 ), and two World Indoor Championship titles ( 2022 and 2024 ). Before that , he was also World Youth Champion in 2015 and World Junior Champion in 2018 , making him one of
Going For It
just 11 athletes ( including Usain Bolt ) to win World Championship titles at the youth , junior and senior level of an athletic event . But more was to come …
Putting the Pole in Poland
On the last weekend of August , Duplantis was back in action at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Chorzów , Poland , and once again , he had the competition won at 6.00m , on countback . Sam Kendricks of the United States and Emmanouil Karalis of Greece also cleared 6.00m – a season ’ s best for the
Watch as Mondo Duplantis breaks the men ’ s pole vault World Record for the 10th time with a 6.26m jump at the Wanda Diamond League meet in Chorzów , Poland in August 2024 .
Mondo soars to a new World Record of 6.26m in Poland
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