By Ariwodo praise izuchukwu
Sweden’s Armand “Mondo” Duplantis is looking to repeat as a gold medalist in men’s pole vault.
Duplantis is the dominant force in the sport—the last time he won anything less than gold at an Olympics or world championship was in 2019.
So far in the final, Duplantis did not jump at 5.50 or 5.80 meters, with 5.85 and 5.90 still to come. American Sam Kendricks cleared his first three vaults, and is currently tied for first place.
The Swedish pole vaulter flew over the bar at a new world record height of 6.25m, having already secured Paris 2024 gold earlier in the evening on Monday, 5 August with a vault of 6.00m.
This is the ninth time Duplantis has broken the world record, beating the mark of 6.24m he set in the Xiamen Diamond League in April this year.
“I haven’t processed how fantastic that moment was,” he said after his historic jump. “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, the biggest possible stage for a pole vaulter. [My] biggest dream since 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.”
The crowd he spoke of in the Stade de France has become used to breathtaking moments at these Olympics, but few can compare to this mammoth effort from Duplantis.
As chants of “Mondo, Mondo, Mondo” rang around the stadium, Duplantis did what he does best, first breaking the Olympic record with a jump of 6.10m and then raising the bar higher to 6.25m.
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As he flew over the bar, he was met with roars from across the masses of people inside the Stade de France who had witnessed the greatest jump — and jumper — in history.
“I tried to clear my thoughts as much as I could,” he said of the momentous reception he received from the stands. “The crowd was going crazy. It was so loud in there, it sounded like an American football game. I have a little bit of experience being in a 100,000-capacity stadium, but I was never the centre of attention. [I was] just trying to channel the energy everybody was giving me, and they were giving me a lot of it. It worked out.”
With the screams of joy from the crowd only matched by Duplantis’ own, the 24-year-old jumped from the mat and straight into the arms of his loved ones.
On a night filled with unforgettable moments, this is one that will be talked about for years to come.
