Duplantis, McLaughlin y Amusan mandan en la capital

Mondo Duplantis, son of a great pole vaulter, the American Greg Duplantis, competes with the Swedish jersey but was born in Louisiana and has spent his whole life there. At three years old he grabbed his first pole in the garden of his house and has not stopped breaking records since he was 6 years old, until the colossal 6.21 meters that he surpassed yesterday … or not really. Tech reports that the representative from Sweden (still learning his mother’s language so he can do interviews) actually rose above 6.29 yesterday. I mean, they had plenty eight centimeters. Bubka rubs his eyes.

The records of Armand Duplantis

Records in real scale (cm)

6

times beat

the world record

35

times beat

the world record

Fuente Own elaboration / ABC

The records of

Armand Duplantis

Records in real scale (cm)

6

times beat

the world record

35

times beat

the world record

Fuente Own elaboration / ABC

The city of Eugene, the size of Getafe, is the capital of athletics. They call it ‘Track Town’ and it has hosted the American Olympic Trials many times. There was born the mythical athlete Prefontaine, the legend of coach Bowerman and the Nike company, as a crystallization of the spirit of the Oregon millers. The mythical tracks of Hayward Field have been an incomparable setting for these World Cups.

Duplantis has not been the only winner in Oregon. Two women, hurdlers, have given two spectacular punches on the World Athletics table. Two cartoon world records. A long awaited one. The other, very unexpected. Sydney McLaughlin’s record was announced. Hers is an unstoppable progression, the reflection of a talent without limits, a woman who passes the fences as if they weren’t there and who is showing potential as a four-hundred-year-old that can mark a new sports career for her in the 400 smooth. McLaughlin, who refused to be represented by an agent from the world of athletics, shares a ‘manager’ with Hollywood stars. The time she has achieved in Oregon (50.63 in the 400 meter hurdles) is one that can spend a decade sleeping in the record book. As if that were not enough, yesterday she completed the American gold of the 4×400 relay with a spectacular post in 47.91. That is, she would have also won gold in the 400 meters if she had signed up for the lap.

The big surprise has starred an athlete from Nigeria. Tobi Amusan has been the great cover of these World Cups. She arrived in Eugene quietly, had a good heat (12:40, the fastest time) and left the fireworks for the final day. Amusan, athletically trained at the University of Texas El Paso, ran her semifinal in a hurry, wanting to impress and scare before the grand final. She stopped the clock at 12.12 and achieved the first ever world record for Nigeria. In the final she ran even more: 12.06 but with an excessive wind that erased the possibility of ratifying the record. Amusan now points to a magical barrier, which was unthinkable until yesterday. Going down from 12.00 was something that only sprinters did. But no fences.

The Oregon World Championships have also confirmed the immense talent of Jakob Ingebrigtsen, who showed his face in the 1,500 meters and lost. Yesterday he hid and won the 5,000 meters. He recalled Sebastian Coe from Moscow ’80, who lost the 800m to Ovett and came back to win the 1,500m in a rage. Ingebrigtsen, with that arrogance that made him declare that he had been defeated in the 1,500 “by an inferior rival”, is one of those characters that athletics has in his showcase and will make him shine at the Paris ’24 Games. Always Paris’24. Like the last century.

And Cuba has completely bled to death. That has been another of the tremendous events of these World Cups: the disappearance of the Caribbean island. Cuban athletes abandon their athletics team, drop by drop, as if their country were a great factory of champions that does not know how to take care of them, pamper them, retain them. The lack of freedom and the possibility of a future of well-being pushes their champions to “escape” (as they often say) and enriches the teams of Portugal, Spain and Italy, the main destinations of their escaped athletes.

1º

2º

3º

4º

5º

–

39º

EU

Ethiopia

Jamaica

Kenya

China

spain

Fuente www.worldathletics.org / ABC

1º

2º

3º

4º

5º

–

39º

EU

Ethiopia

Jamaica

Kenya

China

spain

Fuente www.worldathletics.org / ABC

Athletics closes the World Cups with a great taste in the mouth. And he extends an exciting future to his fans, the ‘crazy athletes’. This same summer the European Championships in Munich, the Junior World Championships in Cali, the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham and the big final meetings of the Diamond League. And next year, the World Cups in Budapest, a prelude to the 2024 Games. The Paris generation is already before us.