World Athletics Championships: world record? “I thought: try it,” says Duplantis

Et was the final chord of these ten-day World Championships at the University of Oregon’s handsome Hayward Field. And this conclusion with the most pleasant evening warmth could not have been more breathtaking. Armand Duplantis, whom everyone just calls Mondo, had deliberately waited for the stage to be his alone.

The Swede set the bar at 6.21 meters – a world record. He aborted the first attempt, but took all his time for the second. Only when the last runner of the relay decision over 4×400 meters had crossed the finish line did he grab his stick, concentrate briefly, run dynamically and swing over the height he had never flown before – as if it was the most normal thing in the world. Apparently it is for him.

After a successful feat, the 22-year-old hopped over the tartan track like a bouncy ball, did a somersault, and then fell into the arms of his parents, who were on the gang. The sky striker, who looks like a college boy and whose star rose five years ago at the European Championships in Berlin, had never been seen so exuberant. Which was also because he had surprised himself a little. The world record, which is usually his goal in every competition, didn’t really interest him on Sunday evening.

“I wanted to become world champion because I still lacked this title,” Duplantis told WELT: “When I had it for sure, I thought to myself: Just try it. The audience deserves that you try your best again.” Which the Olympic champion then impressively did in front of almost 30,000 spectators. “I owed it to them. I felt mighty honored that they only stayed because of me,” he said in his easy-going way.

In March, Duplantis set the indoor record at 6.20 meters

After Duplantis had 5.70 m, 5.87 m, which he only mastered on the second attempt, 5.94 m, 6.00 m – the longed-for World Cup gold was certain – and 6.06 m on the credit account , he decided to crown both his performance and the championship in general with a world record. “Having been an eyewitness to this show will remain unforgettable,” said Oleg Zernikel. The landau came fifth in the historic competition with a time of 5.87, while teammate Bo Kanda Lita Baehre finished a respectable seventh with the same height.

In March at the World Indoor Championships in Belgrade, Duplantis improved his world record to 6.20 m. According to the latest rules of the world association World Athletics, there are no longer any differences between the records indoors and outdoors, so that he was in possession of the all-time record. It was the fifth time that he pushed the world record into new spheres.

He did this for the first time in February 2020 with 6.17 meters. The next three increases were always successful in a closed arena. Eugene gave him his first record jump in the open air. The last time Sergej Bubka had succeeded. In July 1994, the pole vault legend from the Ukraine flew 6.14 m. Only five years later Duplantis was born, who has now also overtaken Bubka in the number of 6 m jumps. He comes to 48, the former champion to 46.

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Duplantis is considered a pole-vaulting prodigy from an early age. At the age of seven, he set his first world record of 2.33 meters. This continued across age groups. Apparently his talent was born to him. Father Greg, American, was a 5.80 meter jumper, mother Helena, who immigrated to the USA from Sweden, competed in the heptathlon and played volleyball at Louisiana State University. “Armand is an extraordinary boy. There is no telling where he will fly to,” Greg Duplantis told WELT some time ago. He should know, as he is training his Filius, who is only competing for Sweden because he doesn’t want to take part in the nerve-wracking US Trials to qualify for the Olympic Games or World Championships.

70,000 dollars for the world championship gold and another 100,000 dollars for the world record made the evening even sweeter for Duplantis. And what’s next? “At the moment,” he said, “I can’t and don’t want to imagine anything. I’m going to take a little break with my family and friends and then I’ll see.”