Armand “Mondo” Duplantis broke the pole vault world record for the 14th time Monday, clearing 6.30 metres to capture his third world championship. Duplantis, who grew up in Louisiana but competes for his mother's native Sweden, easily won his 49th straight meet and fifth straight major title, including Olympics, then kept the crowd around for another half an hour to watch him go for the record.
He cleared his top height (20 feet, 8 inches) on his third and final try, the bar still bouncing but not falling as he leaped off the mat and jumped into second-place finisher Emmanouil Karalis' arms to start the celebration. “To give you guys this moment, it's just amazing,” Duplantis said in an in-stadium interview.
The 25-year-old first broke the record on February 8, 2020, clearing 6.17 meters and knocking France's 2012 Olympic champion, Renaud Lavillenie, off the top spot. Since then, Duplantis has improved upon the record by one cm every time, giving him more opportunities to pocket bonuses like the one he gets at this event.
“What Mondo has in spades is what every pole vaulter is trying to achieve,” said Sam Kendricks, who finished fourth. “He's got a jump, he's got the jets. He's got a family that really supports him, and then he's got a field of guys that's really pushing him up there.”
Duplantis headed over to the edge of the track to consult with his coach, walked back near the runway and took a seat, then stood up, chalked up his hands and let the drama begin. Just as he did a year ago at the Paris Olympics, Duplantis missed his first two tries, leaving himself with one, last all-or-nothing attempt.
After sitting for about five minutes, he got up, took off, reached a speed of more than 35 km per hour (22 mph), then went vaulting over the highest height ever cleared, enough room to fit a full-sized pickup truck. “I believe in him,” said his dad Greg. “I believed he was going to make it on the last one. You've got to believe.”
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