The greatest pole vaulter of all time has done it again: Just 20 days after winning Olympic gold and setting a new world record, Armand Duplantis has raised the bar once again – literally.
On Sunday at the Silesian Diamond League meet in Chorzow, Poland, Duplantis jumped an unprecedented 6.26 meters, one centimeter better than the world record of 6.25 meters he set at the Paris Olympics earlier this month. The jump marks Mondo’s 10th consecutive record.
The Louisiana-born Swede Duplantis first broke the world record in February 2020 with a jump of 6.17 meters, and then improved the record by one centimeter each time on nine separate occasions over the next four and a half years.
There’s no telling where this journey will lead, but Sunday’s competition may not be the end of it for one of the most accomplished athletes of his generation.
The 24-year-old once again stole the show, but he wasn’t the only standout performer on Sunday. In fact, two other pole vaulters, Sam Kendricks of the United States and Emmanouil Karalis of Greece, also cleared the six-meter mark in perhaps the highest level of competition in the sport’s history.
“This win means a lot,” Duplantis said after the competition. “It’s the first time we’ve had three guys over six metres. I think it’s really great for the pole vault and shows where the sport is going and it’s really developing in a good direction. I’m happy for Emanuel and I’m happy for Sam. I think the pole vault is in a really good place right now.”
Obviously, Duplantis himself is the main reason for this.
