Tokyo Olympic gold medalist Armand “Mondo” Duplantis continues to soar to greater heights, breaking the pole vault world record once again.
The Swedish pole vaulter cleared a world record height of 6.19-meters/20′ 3 ¾” indoors in Belgrade, Serbia on Monday. Duplantis grazed the crossbar slightly going over and while it wobbled, it remained intact on the standards.
Duplantis won the meet with successful vaults at 5.61, 5.85 and 6.00 meters on his first attempts, and then raised the bar 19 centimeters of nearly seven inches. He cleared the world record height on his third and final attempt.
“I think I’ve tried 6.19 50 times,” before finally clearing it,” Duplantis told reporters trackside in Belgrade. “It’s been a long time coming. I’ve never had a height quite give me the trouble like that ever my entire life, and I’ve been jumping for a very long time.
“I feel like I can jump a lot higher than I’ve jumped. I feel like this is just a start. I think there are a lot more barriers to push, getting into the 6.20s.”
It marked the third time that the 22-year-old Duplantis has broken the world record over the past 25 months.
“I don’t usually practice with heights like this, but I felt really confident going to it today,” said Duplantis, competing at a meet in which he was the only top ranked competitor.
“The only thing that was on my mind from the beginning was the world record. That was the only thing I cared about today. If I didn’t break the world record, I was going to be upset.”
Duplantis claimed the Olympic title last summer with a leap of 6.02 meters, entering the competition as an overwhelming favorite considering that American rival Sam Kendricks was unable to take part having tested positive for Covid, while in Tokyo. The Olympic gold medalist attempted a world record, albeit unsuccessfully, in Japan.
The ever-improving pole vault star has dual Swedish American citizenship and competed on the collegiate level in the U.S. for Louisiana State University.
Duplantis now owns the top three vaults in history.
He set his first world record in February 2020, breaking Frenchman Renaud Lavillenie’s mark by one centimeter with a clearance of 6.17 meters, in Torun, Poland. Duplantis increased the record to 6.18 meters in Glasgow the following weekend.
Duplantis also owns the highest outdoor clearance in history, leaping 6.15 meters in September 2020 to break Sergey Bubka’s longstanding mark of 26 years. The Ukraine National Olympic Committee president eclipsed the pole vault world record a staggering 17 times outdoors and 18 times indoors, back when separate records were kept.
The young Athletics star will set his sights even higher at the upcoming World Indoor Championships, which will be held in the same arena in the Serbian capital. The marquee events opens on March 18 and with the men’s pole vault final set for March 20.
This summer, Duplantis will seek his first world outdoor title at the first world outdoor championships ever contested in the United States, in Eugene, Oregon. Dulantis won silver, at age 19, behind friendly American rival Sam Kendricks in 2019.
Duplantis was born and raised in Lafayette, Louisiana, but competes for Sweden through his mother, who trains him with his father Greg, an ex-pole vaulter who used to compete against Bubka.
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