Mondo Duplantis of Sweden smashed his own world record in the pole vault at the Silesia Diamond League competition, clearing 6.26 metres on his second try.
The athlete broke the world record for the tenth time, surpassing the record of 6.25 meters that he cleared as he held onto his Olympic gold medal in the Paris Games earlier this month. Moreover, this was also his third record-breaking performance of the year.
In a social media post, he shared his exceptional achievement with a caption: “Straight back to it”
Duplantis won in Lausanne with a clear round of 6.15, but the Polish crowd at the Silesia Stadium in Chorzow was holding their breath when he raised the bar to 6.26 after going over at six metres.
After breaking the world mark for the ninth time at the Olympics in Paris, the 24-year-old delighted the Stade de France audience, and there was always a sense that Duplantis was not finished.
Mondo Duplantis has proven once again that he is one of the best athletes of this generation. The Swedish pole vault star surpassed his own world record with a massive clearance of 6.25 metres in the third and final attempt at the Paris Olympics.
Duplantis’ performance took place at the Stade de France in Paris, where the athlete broke the record for the ninth time in his career, demonstrating his unwavering dominance in this sport.
He went over the bar on his third attempt at breaking the world record, and after failing in his first two attempts, he leaped to his feet and ran to the stands to hug his family to share his joy at his victory.
The athlete declared: “I haven’t processed how fantastic that moment was… It’s one of those things that don’t really feel real, such an out-of-body experience. It’s still hard to kind of land right now.”
“What can I say? I just broke a world record at the Olympics, biggest possible stage for a pole vaulter. The biggest dream since I was a kid was to break the world record at the Olympics, and I’ve been able to do that in front of the most ridiculous crowd I’ve ever competed in front of,” Duplantis added.
Defending his Olympic medals
Before his world record was cleared, Duplantis had already secured the gold medal, adding to his three world championship crowns and successfully defended the title he won at the Tokyo Olympics.
Sam Kendricks of the USA placed second with a 5.95-metre vault, while Emmanouil Karalis of Greece placed third with a 5.9-metre vault. However, Duplantis was the unquestioned winner of this competition, as he has been in many others.
With a chance to break the world record, Duplantis thrilled the audience with his first-ever clearance of 6.10 metres, beating off Thiago Braz of Brazil for the Olympic record. After hitting the bar on his first two tries, he reached the previously unreachable height on his third attempt, adding an exhilarating finishing touch to the gold medal he had already won in the tournament.
Ever since he broke the world record in February 2020, Duplantis has consistently pushed himself to achieve more success. Duplantis remarked: “I think I can do it again, but I don’t really care right now… I’m so happy, I’m going to enjoy this very much. I’ve got my family here, my girl here, some of my best friends here…. I’m going to enjoy the heck out of this. I don’t care about anything except the present moment right now.”
Pole vault sensation Armand “Mondo” Duplantis fell short of surpassing his own world record of 6.22 meters at the recently concluded Brussels Diamond League 2023.
Despite his unbeatable track record, the 23-year-old Swedish athlete claimed the top spot in the men’s pole vault competition at the Brussels Diamond League on Friday, September 8, clearing a commendable 6.10 meters to secure the gold medal for his nation and a place in the finals. However, the primary focus of this event was his attempt to surpass his own world record, which remained unattained, leaving him somewhat dissatisfied with his performance.
Before his endeavor at the Brussels leg of the 2023 Diamond League season, Duplantis had made three prior attempts in Budapest and Zurich, all without success.
With this being his fourth attempt, Duplantis was keen on achieving his goal this time. And, this was very clear to everyone who was present that day. So as he made all his attempts, the spectators were nervous along with him as well. In his final attempt, however, he didn’t reach his desired outcome, which elicited a collective gasp from the crowd.
This heart-stopping moment was also shared by the World Athletics on their X account. It featured a photo of the Swedish athlete and a caption that read:
So close 😱@mondohoss600 flies over a 6.10m meeting record in the men's pole vault 🔥
So far, Duplantis has achieved 6-meter (or more) clearances more than 60 times in his entire professional career, which is the most of any athlete in history. In February 2020, he first achieved the world record of 6.17m in Torun, beating Lavillenie’s previous world record of 6.16m that had stood since 2014. A week later, Duplantis broke the world record again with a 6.18 meter clearance in Glasgow.
After a period of two years without a new world record, he achieved two in a row, the first being a 6.19m clearance at the Belgrade Indoors on March 7, 2022, and the second being a 6.20m clearance thirteen days later, when he won gold at the World Championships in Athletics Belgrade 22.
Within the same year, he established a new outdoor world record again when he cleared 6.21 meters at the World Athletics Championships in Oregon.
And finally, just in February this year, the Swedish pole vault star improved his world pole vault record by one centimeter, achieving a height of 6.22 meters at the All Star Perche, a World Athletics Indoor Tour Silver meeting.
The world is now anticipating Duplantis’ next competition in the Diamond League final, which will take place in Eugene, Oregon, on September 16 and 17.
At the Diamond League season opener in Xiamen, China, Swedish phenom Mondo Duplantis once again shattered the world record for men’s pole vaulting, this time reaching an incredible height of 6.24 meters (20 feet, 5 inches).
It was an incredible exhibition of athletic power. Duplantis, who is only 24 years old, is already writing history by accomplishing this incredible performance in a string of outdoor meets. In addition to captivating fans all around the world, his unwavering pursuit of excellence solidifies his standing as a true icon in the track and field community.
He broke his record of 6.22 meters set on February 25, 2023, by clearing 6.23 meters on his 16th try at the September Diamond League Final in Eugene, Oregon. It was an incredible performance.
He made six failed attempts at 6.24 meters during the winter indoor season, but his persistence paid off as he reached the height with ease on his first outdoor attempt of 2024 in Xiamen, showcasing his extraordinary talent and persistent willpower.
Pole Vaulting First: Duplantis’s Ground-Breaking Approach
Mondo Duplantis has distinguished himself by methodically raising the bar in the vein of Sergey Bubka, both literally and figuratively. He has gradually raised his height on every try at a world record since February 2020 by just one centimeter, and he receives bonuses every time he beats his record.
This strategy was established by Bubka, who set 17 outdoor and 18 indoor world records between 1984 and 1994. Duplantis is now pursuing athletic greatness with this strategy.
In an exciting sprint, Christian Coleman won the 100 meters in 10.13 seconds with a headwind of.6 meters per second, just missing Fred Kerley by four-hundredths of a second. All eyes will be on the June Olympic Trials because the United States has produced the last three global 100-meter champions (Coleman in 2019, Kerley in 2022, and Noah Lyles in 2023), as well as two more world 100-meter medalists (Trayvon Bromell and Marvin Bracy-Williams).
In the individual 100-meter event, the top three finishers will secure their spots on the team headed for Paris, ensuring an exciting exhibition of talent and speed.
Armand Duplantis’ triumphant ascent at the Prefontaine Classic marks the culmination of a lengthy journey to achieve greatness.
Since the Brussels Diamond League, Duplantis has relentlessly pursued the goal of surpassing his own world record of 6.22 meters. During that event, the Swedish-American athlete openly criticized his performance, deeming his jumps as subpar. While he managed to clear an impressive 6.10 meters, his three subsequent attempts at 6.23 meters proved unsuccessful.
“I had it in me to jump the world record today and I really thought I was going to do it. It’s a shame but my jumps were lousy,” Duplantis said of his performance in Brussels.
Despite this result, Armand Duplantis still came out victorious in Brussels, with Sam Kendricks in second place and EJ Obiena in third place.
Armand Duplantis’ history of breaking records
Duplantis is considered a “titan” when it comes to Pole Vault competitions. In February of 2020, he cleared an impressive 6.17 meters in Torun and broke Lavillenie’s previous world record of 6.16 meters when he was just twenty years old.
In the subsequent years, his dominance in the sport remained unchallenged.
Duplantis consistently pushed the boundaries, relentlessly striving to surpass his own records, ultimately solidifying his reign as the unrivaled pole vault champion.
Prior to the Prefontaine Classic, Duplantis had shattered his own record an astounding six times within a mere three-year timeframe.
Armand Duplantis’ Seventh World Record at Hayward Field
At the Diamond League, there was much anticipation for athletes to break world records that day. For the 200 meters, it was Jackson who tried to beat the 35-year old record of Flo-Jo. For Duplantis, it was his own record of 6.22 meters that he was trying to surpass.
All eyes were on Armand Duplantis on September 17. The audience and his competitors were all aware of his goal.
In his first attempt, Duplantis immediately cleared the 6.23-meter mark. Finally reaching his goal for the season, he bounced off the mat and ran across the stands, throwing his hands in the air in celebration.
“I’m usually pretty excited for those world records because they feel good. What else can you say really?” Duplantis told reporters.
“It was a crazy way to end the year, I’ve never had an ending like this.”, he added.
Duplantis also revealed what he hopes to accomplish at the end of his professional life.
“By the end of my career, I hope to definitely have the bar up there that I think is the highest that I could have possibly achieved.”
In a thrilling showdown that had athletics fans on the edge of their seats, pole vaulting sensation Mondo Duplantis emerged victorious in a 100-meter sprint against the formidable 400m hurdler Karsten Warholm.
According to the report published by Reuters, the exhibition race, held in Zurich on Wednesday, was a highly anticipated event that pitted two world record holders against each other in a friendly yet fiercely competitive race.
Mondo Duplantis: Friendly but fierce
Duplantis, known for his lightning-fast reflexes and explosive power in the pole vault, proved to be equally formidable on the sprint track. He left the blocks like a bullet, maintaining a commanding lead throughout the race and crossing the finish line in an impressive 10.37 seconds.
Warholm, despite his best efforts, was unable to match Duplantis’ pace and finished with a time of 10.47 seconds.
The atmosphere was electric as the two athletes entered the track with the swagger of seasoned fighters, Duplantis in a blue satin gown and Warholm in red. The friendly banter and light-hearted trash-talk that had been exchanged in the lead-up to the race added to the excitement. However, once the robes were shed and the athletes were in position, it was all business. Duplantis’s explosive start sealed the victory, leaving Warholm to acknowledge his opponent’s superiority on the day.
Warholm: A real sportsman
“I’m pretty fired up. How could I not be? I mean, come on, stop playing. Stop playing. Stop playing with me,” an exuberant Duplantis declared at the finish line.
Warholm, ever the sportsman, conceded graciously, “You know, I got to give it to Mondo. He beat me today, fair and square, so it was a great race. And he was out the blocks fast. He was out really sharp.”
While the world record of 9.58 seconds set by Usain Bolt in 2009 remained untouched, both athletes ran faster than the women’s record of 10.49 seconds set by Florence Griffith-Joyner in 1988.
Versatility and speed
Duplantis, who has shattered the pole vault record ten times, including retaining his Olympic title at Paris last month with a vault of 6.26 meters, showed his versatility and speed on the track. Warholm, the Olympic gold medallist from Tokyo 2021, where he broke his world record in the 400m hurdles, also demonstrated his prowess in the sprint.
The duo will return to their respective disciplines at the Weltklasse Diamond League at the Letzigrund Stadium on Thursday. Warholm, as a goodwill gesture, was presented with a Swedish shirt, which he is expected to don in his race, adding a touch of camaraderie to the fierce competition.
